Jealousy
by lovelunarchron
Summary: Continuation from the end of Cress: Kai goes back to his room after his discussion with Cinder on the Rampion. He begins to question himself as he ponders the actions of one Carswell Thorne. Thorne, however, has plans of his own. What will happen now that everyone is aboard the Rampion? A whole lot of Kai/Cinder & Thorne/Cress, plus a general continuation of the story...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Kai sat alone in his room, trying to process everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. It seemed like days since he'd been sitting holed up in his office, waiting for a security breach to be fixed so he could go to his death (er, wedding) with Levana. Now he was up in space, surrounded by nothing but air and the breathtaking views of Earth and stars that enveloped him in every room he went. The future he had resigned himself to just days before was now so far in the past. Levana had attacked Earth, they were headed to the moon…and he had kissed Cinder. Linh Cinder, the cyborg mechanic Lunar fugitive.

No, Princess Selene.

The idea was still pretty crazy to him. Cinder was Selene? And she hadn't even known? A part of him felt guilty for having accused her of so many things during the course of their argument. He had wondered, weeks ago while Cinder was on the run, how she had become a cyborg in the first place. He had pondered whether she had been in an accident or if she had simply been disfigured as a child. But now he knew. Levana had tried to murder her. Cinder's own _relative_ had tried to burn her alive. But someone had tried to save her and brought her to Earth. Had the procedure been painful? Did she remember anything? He didn't think she did, since she claimed to only just have found out through Dr. Erland as she was held captive in New Beijing prison.

His prison. The prison where he had practically sent to her to her death. Guilt choked him for a moment, but he fought it down. He hadn't known any better. And at the time, there wasn't much that he could have done to change the situation, anyway, even if he had known. But he knew that he had a long way to go to understand all the complexities of Cinder, all of her new identities now on display for him to see. Cyborg. Lunar. Princess.

And…his girlfriend? Did this mean him and Cinder would be together? Kai had never even dared to think that this could be a possibility before he had gotten on this ship, and he was so surprised by the turn of events that it was hard for him to linger on the question. They had more pressing things to think about. Cinder and him would figure it out in the end –whatever end that was. But he couldn't get those brief moments of elation during their kiss out of his head, even if it had been thwarted almost instantly by Levana's brutal attack. Cinder had been devastated and scared – tormented by what she felt was her own fault. Until he had understood that Cinder was Princess Selene, he thought that it was all her fault too. Now he understood why Cinder couldn't just disappear and let him marry Levana. He had a vested interest in seeing Princess Selene reclaim her throne as well. But kidnapping him and postponing the wedding hadn't helped.

Cinder was a mess. But he loved that about her. On the outside she was able to be strong when it was needed of her, but he knew that deep down she was scared and this comforted him. She had finally been real with him. And he was scared too. All those weeks he had spent with Levana and the thaumaturges, and all those unbearable moments of hatred and disbelief as Levana slowly tortured him by showing that he had absolutely no power, made him understand just how much he feared Levana too. But maybe they could be strong together. At least, he would be strong for her. Cinder had risked her life so many times to help him and help Earth, so he felt that he owed it to her to be there for her now. But he wasn't sure how to show it. He wasn't even really sure where they stood. They had kissed, but they had been interrupted too much to explore their feelings further. And now he didn't know what to do. Or how Cinder really felt moving on from that point.

Once the blonde girl had opened the door and rushed in on them, Cinder went back to being a shaky mess on the floor, hunched over like a ragdoll. But he had hesitated a moment too long to comfort her again, with the others watching him curiously. It was Carswell Thorne who had been the hero of the hour. Cinder had said that he was blind, but it took him all of three seconds to find his way to her, sit down behind her, and pull her into his arms on the floor – not too differently from how Kai had been with her before the blonde girl had rushed in. Cinder had resigned herself to his embrace, probably too tired from thinking about her planned revolution and sadness at Levana's attacks, and had closed her eyes and rested her head on the crevice between his well-defined shoulder and neck. Thorne wrapped one arm around her waist and snuggled her tightly, whispering things into her ear while he ran his fingers through her hair over and over and rocked her. Kai knew it was his fault for hesitating, but couldn't help feeling jealousy at Thorne's ease with her. _He_ should be the one comforting Cinder. Not this convict.

"We've been through worse than this, Cinder," he cooed. Thorne's cooing was sultry and smooth and irritated Kai more than he cared to admit. "We escaped jail together. We made it through the attacks in Rieux together. We saved Scarlet and Wolf. I survived the satellite fall and got Cress out. You survived the thaumaturge attack and saved Wolf—again. We survived the attack in Farrafrah by his Royal Highness' pawns." Thorne stopped to glare at Kai, but since he didn't know where Kai was standing, just sort of glared randomly at a wall. Kai knew it was for him, though.

"And we made it back. Now we've kidnapped the Emperor and are safe, together. We're going to be _fine_. You're not alone anymore, we're all together."

_Together_. He couldn't help but notice all the "togethers" that Thorne threw in there. Was it intentional? Did he just mean that they were working together, or was he trying to remind her of a possible…relationship? Had they had an affair on this ship? Kai had hated him immediately when he had learned of their escape, and had to admit that part of it was unease that this in-arguably good-looking man would be with Cinder the whole time. But Kai had just kissed Cinder. Why did he suddenly feel so insecure, so inadequate? Why was he overcome with a pang of…jealousy? What had he done to help Cinder? What had he done that had been heroic? Nothing. Thorne was the real hero in this situation. Kai had just made it more difficult for Cinder at every step.

Thorne lifted his head again. "Cress, could you get Iko? I'm gonna need some help moving Cinder."

Kai rushed to interrupt, "I can take her." Thorne found the sound of his voice and turned to him.

"Your Majesty? Please. I don't think so. Can't you see the girl's traumatized? Or am I not the only blind man on this ship anymore? Clearly meeting with you only adds to her distress."

"But-"

"Cinder's gonna stay with me tonight, your_ Imperial Highness._ I'm the only one she actually knows on this ship. And I'm the only one who knows how to cheer her up." A devilish grin spread across his face.

Kai shut up, feeling deflated. Of course he was right. His brief moments with Cinder over the past few weeks were nothing compared to all the things that Thorne and Cinder had done together. He felt like a fool. Cinder barely looked up at Thorne and swatted him a little with her cyborg hand. "Shut up Thorne, you're so full of it." Thorne only grinned harder and grabbed her hand into his own.

"C'mon princess, this is just another one of our moments." Cinder closed her eyes again and slumped back against him again. Kai couldn't help but notice a small change in the expression of the blonde girl standing beside him, as she watched Thorne with Cinder. Cress, he thought Thorne had called her. But what was on her face now? Was it _jealousy_? Cress caught him staring at her and she blushed, trying to make her face look neutral again. What was Kai missing here? Was everyone on this ship in love with Carswell Thorne?

Kai had been forced to go back to his room since Iko wouldn't help Thorne with Cinder unless he wasn't there. And now he was stuck replaying that night's events over and over again. He felt like he was being banished, as if he were the problem in this situation. He hated being in this room, feeling useless. He certainly couldn't sleep – in fact, he had probably slept an entire day after being shot with the tranquilizer dart. But he couldn't just sit in his room and think about Cinder all night, as he would probably go crazy. He was already conflicted enough, and the brief hugfest with Thorne had thrown his confidence. So, he made his way out of his room into the empty corridors and back towards the cockpit. Maybe he could search some netscreens to see what had been going on in the Eastern Commonwealth during his time away. To his surprise, he saw a figure sitting in the pilot's chair. He stumbled back abruptly, worried that it was the "harmless" lunar special operative – Wolf, Cinder had called him – and nearly tripped. The man swiveled in his chair and called out "who's there?" and to his dismay, Kai saw that it was none other than Carswell Thorne. _Here we go_, he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Thorne sat with Cinder for a while as she slept, not believing the ridiculousness of this situation. Cinder, who had been pretty bad about hiding her very obvious crush on the Emperor since he had known her, was now lying in _his_ room, on _his_ bunk. All while Emperor Kaito was somewhere else, fiddling his thumbs and doing stars knows what. _Royalty_, he muttered.

He was glad to have a moment of peace and quiet and was even gladder that he couldn't see the Emperor. He probably would have punched him in his arrogant face. The Emperor didn't have any idea of how much they had been through to save _his_ butt, to stop _his_ stupid wedding, to save _his_ country. And instead of maybe thanking Cinder (and him) after all of it, he had just yelled at her. He had heard Kai's exasperated moans even after he had left the room. Cress, of course, hadn't let him listen in too long, but he'd heard enough as they had walked away. _His majesty_ didn't want to be kidnapped, _His majesty_ wanted to go back to Earth, _His majesty_ was an emperor, and Cinder had interrupted _his_ plans, and _blah, blah, blah_. What a royal whiner. He'd probably never had anyone ever tell him no before.

After they'd heard about Levana's attacks and Cress had rushed to let them know, Cinder was very obviously in hysterics. And then, he'd just stood there as _Thorne_ was the one who comforted Cinder. He felt another prick of protectiveness for Cinder rush up in him – the same he'd felt in the moment when he realized that the Emperor wasn't doing anything to make Cinder feel better and he had stepped up to the plate instead. He replayed the situation in his head and decided to have a nice chat with Cinder the next day about the men that she was interested in. Maybe he could knock some sense into her. _Stars,_ he couldn't believe that he was even thinking about getting involved. He was normally happy to mind his own business and hated being caught in drama.

But, a heartbroken Cinder was the last thing they needed. It wasn't that he minded helping Cinder, either. He and Cinder had been through a lot together, and someone needed to make sure she kept her wits together. But he was tired. He hadn't really had any rest since he'd first entered the satellite to save Cress, and…with everything that had happened with Cress, Dr. Erland, and their escape from New Beijing Palace, he just wanted a break. He hoped at least that the Emperor felt guilty for treating her badly after Thorne had insisted that Iko accompany Thorne and Cinder to his room.

The absurdity of the situation just made him annoyed. Cinder should be with Kai at this moment and he should be…he should be with… Thorne shoved the thought away as quickly as it appeared. He needed some air, a hot shower, and a break from all this tension. He listened, and after hearing the steady breath of Cinder inhaling and exhaling, he decided it was best to leave her here rather than attempt to wake her and bring her back to her own room. She deserved a break too.

Thorne felt the bed and pulled a blanket up to Cinder's neck, and then grabbed the top of the bunk to steady himself as he reached for his cane and got to his feet. He shuffled to the door and upon opening it, almost stumbled over Cress. He hadn't realized she was still awake, let alone that she had been waiting for him.

"Captain?"

"Cress…hey."

"Are you okay? You seem...distracted."

"It's nothing. I just need to help Cinder with something. We've been through some pretty bad situations together and I haven't really seen her freak out like this before."

"Oh, right," said Cress, beginning to walk. He quickly followed her footsteps and caught up to her. She paused.

"I guess I forgot how well you and Cinder must know each other. Escaping jail together and then weeks alone on this spaceship..." Cress let out a sigh, sounding deflated. He knew that she was probably even more exhausted than he was. "Well, is she okay?"

"She's sleeping now."

"She must be really tired."

"Yeah, and as you can imagine, she's pretty upset. But no worry, I'll set the Emperor straight tomorrow."

"What do you mean?"

Thorne sighed, scratching his chin. "I'm not gonna sit here and let him act like an idiot when Cinder is clearly into him."

"But Captain… the Emperor likes Cinder too."

"Well, I was certain he did before but now that he's on the ship he definitely isn't acting like it."

"No, no, when I burst into the room he was holding her and she was leaning into his chest and hugging him back!"

"What?"

"Yeah...the Emperor looked embarrassed and practically leapt away from her, but it was really cute –romantic, even! Actually, they looked a lot like you and Cinder did afterward."

Thorne snorted. "Romantic?"

Cress laughed, almost sounding like she had been holding her breath for a while. "Well...the Emperor did look pretty…jealous...that you were going to take her back to your room."

Thorne furrowed his brow. This was interesting news. "Wait...so you think they actually made up after all that yelling?"

"I think so! He was all cute and flustered when I walked in on them, and he pretty much turned dark red all over his ears."

"All cute? Don't tell me you have a crush on the world's most eligible bachelor as well."

She laughed. "Well, I just meant that maybe what you heard isn't exactly what happened."

"So why didn't he comfort Cinder then while we were there?"

"Maybe he's shy?"

"And you really think he seemed jealous that I was with Cinder?"

"Yeah...I mean..." She paused. "The way you talked...I thought...it made it seem like you were sort of implying that you and Cinder were…together...or had been together...or something." She stuttered, sounding sheepish.

Thorne laughed. "This is great! It's good to know I can make an emperor jealous."

Cress didn't say anything. He found her hand and gave her a squeeze. "I'm gonna go sit out in the cockpit for a while. I know I can't see anything, at least not yet, but I feel relaxed out there and just need a bit of a break."

"Okay, well goodnight, Captain." She hesitated, not pulling her hand away.

"Cress?"

"I was just thinking, it still seems surreal not to be sleeping on sand anymore, doesn't it?"

He sighed. "I know, right? We didn't really have any time to enjoy it between you getting kidnapped and us trying to stop the wedding. But just think, one of the most exciting prospects of going to Luna is that there definitely won't be any deserts anywhere." He laughed. "Sleep well in your sand-free bed tonight, ok? It's been a long day."

He let her hand go, and maneuvered his way slowly to the cockpit of his beloved ship, replaying Cress' words in his mind. So...the Emperor _did_ have feelings for Cinder. At least, Cress thought he did. This was good news for Cinder, then. Or maybe not, considering that the Emperor probably didn't have any clue how to handle the ladies. He would likely mess it all up. All the screaming, swooning girls of his fandom had probably never required him to develop any real skills in _amore_.

He thought back to his years in school. He definitely should have started up that Flirting 101 course – he would be rich by now, and it was probably a career choice that would have not landed him in jail. Well, too late to make that change now.

Maybe he would reconsider his meddling. After all, this was the guy whose military had locked him up in New Beijing Prison. The one who had given the order to have Cinder locked up as well. The guy who now thought that Thorne was possibly...into Cinder? He laughed. It was too easy. This guy deserved to be jealous. He certainly _had_ annoyed Thorne enough to deserve a bit of a hard time, too. Plus, if he was honest with himself, the thought of yet another imminent experience with blood-thirsty Lunars clawed at him and made him feel uncomfortable. And with his thoughts always flitting back to… yes, a distraction could be well worth his time.

He jerked up as he heard someone approaching, and upon discovering that it was His Majesty himself, Thorne couldn't help but grin. What was that Second Era expression in all the books he'd read in school? Ah yes, all's fair in love and war.

"Your Majesticness!" he exclaimed, knowing that it probably would irritate the Emperor.

He heard him stop and draw in a deep breath. Silence.

"Why don't you have a seat?"

"Fine." After a hesitation, he heard Kai shuffle slowly into the co-pilot seat next to him. Thorne swiveled again to face him, but Kai said nothing. Neither did Thorne. Thorne propped his feet up on the dash and attempted to make himself as comfortable as possible. He enjoyed feeling the palpable tension between them. He relished in the fact that his presence was likely making the Emperor uncomfortable and felt like – for once—he had a one-up on the elite of this world. This was going to be fun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Kai sat in silence looking through the cockpit window, fixated on the stars that seemed to float in front of him. He wasn't really sure why he had agreed to sit down or what on Earth he could have in common with an escaped criminal. Unlike Cinder, this man had earned every day of his imprisonment and had unjustly escaped. He had resigned himself to the silence when neither of them had said anything more. That was fine with Kai. His thoughts had drifted back to Cinder. And the fact that she was clearly sleeping alone. Good.

"You're welcome, by the way."

Kai started. "Excuse me?"

"I said, you're welcome, _Your Majesty_."

Kai didn't know what to say, having trouble peeling his gaze away from the stars to focus on the conversation. Carswell Thorne raised an eyebrow after noting the silence.

"Listen," he said, "it looks like we're going to be around each other for a while, so we're going to have to drop some of your fancy titles. It's going to be exhausting to call you Your Majesty or Your Highness all the time. Can we just go with 'Kai'?"

Kai cleared his throat, recovering. "Oh, yes, that would be fine. I – I don't really mind. We're not really in a—um—formal setting here anyway."

"Excellent. As you know, I'm Carswell Thorne, but you can call me Thorne or Captain."

Now it was Kai's turn to raise an eyebrow. "But you're a cadet."

"Correction. I _was _a cadet. In case you didn't notice while you were busy being unconscious, you've been brought aboard _my_ ship."

"A ship you stole."

Thorne didn't miss a beat. "Details, details." He said airily, waving his hand in the air as if stealing a ship was about as common as eating breakfast every day. "If I hadn't stolen this ship, Cinder and I wouldn't have escaped your prison, and you would be married to Queen Levana right now. Which brings us right back to my initial comment – _you're welcome_."

Kai hated to admit it, but Thorne was right. At the end of the day, Thorne's ship had been crucial to Cinder's escape, and he supposed Thorne's company had been crucial to Cinder's success in evading the authorities as well. Since he'd managed to evade the law for quite some time, he'd probably given Cinder some tips. And, he supposed that he did owe Thorne some credit for helping Cinder kidnap him. A fact that he was still getting used to.

"I—I guess your reasoning makes sense. It's just a little hard for me to turn my mentality about criminals around in only one evening."

Thorne laughed. "I'll expect a full pardon by the time this is all over."

Kai grimaced. Of course he did. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves yet."

Thorne was still grinning, but then he lifted his arms up in an almost surrender. "Alright, I'll let you make your own decision about me. I'm confident you will come to the same conclusion. Just let me know when I'm free to go. So, you got a mistress back home?"

"I—what? No!" Kai said, feeling offended at the suggestion and caught off guard by the abrupt change in topic. "Isn't that normal for royalty?" asked Thorne, but he was looking at Kai curiously, not accusingly.

"I'm technically still engaged," Kai managed to mumble coherently. What a stupid response.

"Oh come _on_, it's obvious that someone in your position would have women fawning all over him. And being engaged to Queen Levana would likely make _any_ man eager to – "

"I _don't_ have a mistress. And I never did," interrupted Kai, trying to regain the conversation.

"Why not?" asked Thorne, still looking curious.

Kai shrugged. "There's a lot of reasons," he said, not wanting to share all of his personal thoughts with a complete stranger. When he was growing up, he had initially been excited about the prospect of having so many girls at his beck and call. He had even developed a bit of an ego at how they swooned at his appearances on press tours with his father. But the more he met these girls, the more he realized that none of them were really interested in him at all. It was more the idea of him that they liked. Or the prestige of being in the presence of a prince. Even when his father had invited honored guests and aristocrats to the palace and they had brought along their daughters, Kai had found it hard to make a connection with any of them. Everyone just seemed so fake. He sighed. He didn't need a mistress. He could just invite any one of those 200,000 fangirls to the palace at any time. The idea made him feel a bit sick.

He turned his attention back to Thorne. "I'm sure you've had plenty, though."

Thorne grinned again. "Me? Nah, I'm a one-woman kind of guy."

"I'm sure you are," said Kai, not even attempting to hide his doubt. He was sure that Carswell Thorne was quite the ladies man. But instead of responding, Thorne just kept grinning, and Kai was amazed at how anyone could be so confident.

"So…" he trailed off, eager to change the subject. "How's Cinder?"

"You mean, how's Cinder or _how's Cinder_?" he drawled, using the same flippant wink that Kai had memorized from his prison photo. His temper began to boil.

"I mean, was she feeling any better when you left her?"

"Oh I'd say she's definitely feeling _a lot_ better." He winked again.

"Are you even capable of being serious about something?"

"Are you even capable of _not _being serious about something?" Thorne retorted, this time sounding a bit less confident and bit more annoyed.

Kai sighed loudly, growing exasperated. He was the ruler of a country. He had handled annoying politicians before and even put up with Queen Levana. He would not allow this man to irritate him. And he was annoyed with himself for being so sensitive, anyway. Carswell Thorne just ticked him off and he knew why. He'd been with Cinder this whole time.

"I just want to make sure that she feels better," he said, trying to sound calm and collected.

"You didn't seem to care a few hours ago."

Kai stiffened. "I did care. I've always cared."

"You have an interesting way of showing it," said Thorne, for the first time not looking as though he was teasing. "Cinder has been through a lot trying to get you out of Levana's grasp, and you've just made it harder for her every step of the way."

"I know she's been through a lot – "

Thorne interrupted him. "Do you? I don't really think you have any idea of what she's been through. Did she tell you everything that we've done in the past month?"

"Well, no—"

"I didn't think so." Thorne pulled his feet off the dash and crossed his arms.

Kai tried again. "Look, I really do care about Cinder. Maybe I wasn't able to show that so much before, but now that things have changed, it's—"

"It's pretty convenient, now that she's a princess," Thorne interrupted again.

Kai glared at Thorne, even though he couldn't see that he was doing so. He hadn't considered that maybe Cinder would take his newly professed feelings as a result of her being Princess Selene. No, he had liked her way before he knew anything about her. He had liked her even when he knew she was Lunar. But now he didn't have to worry about her possibly having manipulated him. He knew she hadn't. And he didn't care about the things that she was. He just wanted _her_. "That's not important to me."

Another sly grin spread up Thorne's face and Kai fought down the urge to punch it off of his smug face. "Of course it's not. Well, I care about Cinder, too. And I've cared about her since I've known her, regardless of her status." He got up to his feet so that he was standing almost directly over Kai. "So you better get your priorities straight."

Kai looked up at him, surprised. He hadn't expected Thorne to sound so protective. But he also hadn't expected Thorne to say that he cared about Cinder like that. But in all fairness, Kai hadn't really explicitly stated that he _liked_ Cinder. Maybe Thorne meant that he only cared about her as friend, and thought Kai meant the same thing. But before he could form a coherent thought on how to phrase his feelings for Cinder more precisely to the man who stood above him, Thorne had grabbed his cane and was walking away. Stopping briefly by the doorway, he drawled, "I better get back to _Her Highness_ in case she wakes up again. But do make yourself at home, Kai. It's been a pleasure."

Kai sat back, once again feeling defeated. He used to think he was smooth and even a pretty accomplished flirt, but he knew that he was no competition at all compared to Thorne's undying confidence and charisma. He still didn't have a clear idea of the relationship between Cinder and Thorne either. But he did know that they had a bigger history than he and Cinder did, and the thought still made him feel miserable.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Cinder woke up to a rhythmic breathy sound, and it took her a few seconds to realize that it was someone snoring. She paused, temporarily confused, as her brain tried to pull her out of morning fogginess. She began to replay last night's events. The escape from the palace. Torturing Sybil. Levana's attacks. Kissing Kai. _Kissing Kai!_ Scrunching her face into her pillow and pulling it in tight, she couldn't help but grin, almost letting out a squeal of delight. She'd grieved Levana's attacks enough last night – to the point of utter exhaustion. She would allow herself a few moments of giddiness before returning to reality. But reality came back quicker than she expected in the form of another loud snore. She shot up to a sitting position in bed, eyes wide open. Someone was snoring in her room.

She pulled herself out of the bottom bunk and stood, stretching, as she craned her neck up toward the top bunk. For a brief second, she thought the male form huddled in the blankets was Kai, and her heart leapt. But then she realized that the hair was too light and well-kempt, even after being slept on. It was Thorne_._ Confused, her eyes did a quick sweep of the room, and she soon recognized the quarters as Thorne's instead of her own. She yanked on his covers.

"Uh?" came his groggy voice.

"What are we doing?" she demanded.

"Uh? Cress?" said Thorne, sounding confused.

"What? Thorne, it's Cinder."

Thorne opened his eyes and for a second looked hopeful, then his features became complacent and tired again. He rolled onto his back and stretched his arms lazily over his head. "I was hoping that maybe those drops would have already kicked in." He sighed. "But I still can't see anything."

"Thorne, focus."

"On what? What's going on?" This time, he sounded annoyed.

"Thorne, why are we sleeping in the same room?"

He yawned. "Don't tell me you didn't have a good time last night, darling."

Cinder huffed and rolled her eyes, even if she knew Thorne couldn't see it. He rolled to his side to face her again and his lips quirked into a faint side grin. Then he pulled the covers back over himself a bit more. "Stop freaking out, Cinder. You're doing too much of that lately."

"What do you mean?" she asked, feeling a bit self-conscious.

"Look, last night you were pretty upset and wouldn't calm down so I took you here and sat with you until you fell asleep."

"Oh," she said dumbly, feeling a bit silly for having raised her voice just a few seconds ago. "Thanks. That was really nice, I guess."

"Really nice is my middle name," he drawled, still grinning. "What's got you so nervous anyway?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing, huh?"

In one swift movement, he pulled the covers back completely and jumped down to the floor. "Where are you?" he asked and held out his hands for her and she grabbed them instinctively. He didn't tower over her like Wolf, but he still had to lean down as he tilted his face closer to hers. "Are you sure you're not just disappointed that these dreamy blue eyes aren't copper?" he whispered, a laugh etched all over his face.

Cinder would have blushed if she were able and tried to come up with a clever response. She was still too giddy to even be irritated at his teasing.

"I—"

She was cut off as the door creaked open and she turned to see Cress in the doorway, staring at them with an expression that Cinder couldn't quite place. Thorne pulled his hands away and stepped back, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Breakfast is ready, if you want," said Cress, and walked out the door again, shutting it a bit hastily so it made a slight bang.

Thorne turned back to Cinder. "Lead the way. We can talk more about Prince Charming later."

As they made their way to the galley, Cinder couldn't help but think how lucky she had really been to have landed in Thorne's prison cell while trying to escape New Beijing Prison. Granted, it had taken her a few weeks to be able to stand him, but she knew that under all his teasing, arrogant, and carefree behavior, he was still a pretty good guy. When she thought he was dead, she had missed him more than she would ever admit. And now, despite being blind, he still had that same happy-go-lucky attitude that she had come to cherish. He could certainly still be a pain, but his attitude always made even the worst of situations seem a little less dim.

Upon entering the galley, she saw Kai sitting at the table, already eating some oatmeal. Her heart swelled a bit. "Good morning!" she said, grinning. Kai lit up a bit, offering her a smile in return. "How are you feeling?" he said, moving to make a bit of room next to him at the table.

Thorne came up behind her and put his arm around her in a tight side-hug. "The princess and I just woke up and I daresay she's doing better than yesterday!"

Cinder smiled but peeled herself away from Thorne and made her way to Kai. But as she sat down, she noticed that Kai had stopped smiling and was now glaring a bit, though it looked like he was trying to hide it. Before she could ask him what was wrong, Wolf interrupted her thoughts. "I'm glad you're doing better. We need to talk and it's important that we are all clear in our heads right now." She looked up, staring at him. She hadn't even noticed that he was there. She glanced around the rest of the room and noticed Cress sitting at other corner of the table, pushing a bowl of oatmeal in front of Thorne, who was settling himself into the chair next to her. She made a mental note that she would have to work harder to adjust to Kai's presence on their ship and couldn't have eyes only for him. She needed to be alert, now more than ever.

"What's going on?" she asked Wolf.

"I've been watching the newsfeeds all morning. It looks like we're going to have to delay our arrival to Luna." The look on his face made Cinder cringe. She knew there was probably no other news that he would be less willing to share. He wanted to get back to Luna more than anyone. According to their plan, they were supposed on arrive on Luna in less than twenty-four hours.

"No," said Kai firmly, straightening up next to her. "We can't delay."

"Kai, you don't even know why we have to delay. Let the man speak," said Thorne. Cress poked his arm and practically whispered "_Your Majesty_, Thorne." He poked her back. "Stop worrying, Cress, his royal highness and I had a good chat last night. We're on a first name basis, now, aren't we?" he responded, turning his head in Kai's direction. Kai bristled next to Cinder, but didn't say anything. A good chat? It was hard for her to imagine Kai and Thorne having much in common.

"Watch this vid," said Wolf, turning in his chair to face the netscreen behind the table. He pushed the button and the screen flicked on, paused to a news anchorwoman looking frazzled. "Feed on," he muttered. The woman came back to life.

_"After the widespread attacks that ravaged Planet Earth yesterday, the Lunar Queen has managed to evade capture in the Eastern Commonwealth after all countries in the union declared a State of War. Royal Advisor to His Majesty Emperor Kaito, Konn Torin, who has temporarily assumed the role as the leader of the Eastern Commonwealth, issued a statement this morning."_ The vid changed to a small room with a large desk and portrait window, and Cinder recognized it as Kai's office. She glanced at Kai, and he was watching intently, expectantly. Konn Torin sat at the desk – Kai's desk. Cinder took another spoon of her oatmeal, thoughtful.

"_After the Emperor was kidnapped, I had a brief conversation with her Majesty myself, and it became clear that we could no longer reach common ground. Unfortunately she was able to leave the Eastern Commonwealth airspace before we were able to apprehend her once the attacks began. We are doing everything in our power to protect the people of the Commonwealth in wake of this news. Everyone is advised to stay inside and lock all doors while evacuations are in progress." _He paused and glanced down at his notes briefly_. "In regards to the capture of His Majesty Emperor Kaito, we want the people of Earth to be aware of one important fact. This kidnapping occurred by none other than Linh Cinder, the cyborg lunar fugitive who has also evaded capture over the past month with ex-military cadet Carswell Thorne. This was not something that the New Beijing Palace was able to foresee or prevent, and it is because of this simple reason that Queen Levana has attacked Earth. Therefore, we are re-assessing our priorities, as it has become clear that Levana was just looking for an excuse to start a war. We have not received any ransom information at this time and therefore cannot completely assume that the kidnapping was done with malintent. Knowing that Linh Cinder has defied the Lunar Queen thus far, we are taking into consideration that perhaps her intent is to help rather than hurt our beloved Emperor. While the capture of Linh Cinder and the return of our Emperor remains a great priority, we ask that the people of Earth do not harm anyone aboard the Rampion until we can determine their true motives." _

Konn Torin then launched into a detailed account of the palace security breach during the time of Kai's kidnapping, but Wolf paused the feed. Kai looked a bit confused. "He thinks you might be helping me?" he asked, turning to Cinder.

Cinder tried not to look sheepish. She had forgotten that of course, he had been unconscious during her conversation with Torin. "He was the one who told me and Iko about the tracking device in your ear. I also told him that I had Princess Selene with me and that we would keep you safe."

"And he believed you?!"

"We didn't really give him much choice…but yeah…I guess he must have trusted us a little if he was willing to tell us about your tracking device."

Kai frowned. "But what does this have to do with our plan? Why do we have to delay going to Luna?"

Wolf turned to face him. "Levana is no longer on Earth. If she left Earth not too long after we did, then her ship shouldn't be too far behind us. She'll be arriving back on the moon today as well. None of you have ever been on Luna for one of her arrivals, have you?"

Cress shook her head. "No one's been on Luna except me. But even when I was younger, I was always kept down in the lava tunnels. I never really got out to see much of anything." Cinder caught Thorne giving her leg a squeeze below the table as she spoke.

"That's what I thought," continued Wolf. "Whenever the Queen arrives on Luna, even if she's just been on a small vacation for a few days, she makes it into this great big fanfare. There's a big parade, people come out on the streets, etc. Security is on high-alert, and everyone is out of their homes. There's no way we'd be able to sneak in."

Kai frowned. "Wouldn't that make for a great diversion?"

"No," said Wolf, "they send these flares into the sky to announce her arrival all day, and sometimes it even becomes a competition of who can make the most interesting shapes. Everyone will be looking into the atmosphere all day to either spot the flares or her ship, so any other ship flying in would probably even be recorded. I'm sure the Queen doesn't expect us to go to the Luna, but I'm sure she would notice any suspicious activity…particularly from a non-lunar ship. I already had Iko run some statistics and it looks like the probability is just too high for us to be spotted."

Kai groaned, exasperated. "There has to be something we can do. We cannot just sit here and do nothing."

"I'm the last person in this _galaxy_ that wants to delay getting to Luna. Scarlet is up there." He winced, saying her name. "But we'd be walking into a suicide mission. We have to time it just right. We're going to need to delay or we're all going to die or be captured and all this will have been for nothing."

Thorne looked curious. "How long do you suggest we wait?"

Wolf considered. "It'll take her one day to get there, and one more day for the welcome events to blow over. We might be able to consider sneaking in two to three days from now."

"What are we doing to do until then?" Cress chimed in.

Thorne looked up, almost delighted. "I think we can find some things to keep us busy."

Kai scowled.

Wolf looked around. "We definitely have a lot of things to plan in the meantime. Everyone can practice their fighting skills as well. But for now, why don't we just take a break? I know everyone is still tired from all the events from last night, and none of us have really gotten much of a break in the last few weeks. We need to replenish our energy."

"I agree," said Cinder, pulling herself up from the table. She chewed on her lip, not entirely convinced of this change to their original plan, but didn't have any other ideas to offer. "If we can't go anywhere, we might as well relax a bit."

Cress was trying to smile weakly, but Thorne was the only one who actually looked happy about this plan. "This is the perfect time for us to all get to know each other a little better," he said, and Cinder recognized his grin that meant he was thinking of something perhaps a little devious. This time, Kai very obviously glared at him, though he quickly recovered when Cinder turned towards him. If she wasn't mistaken, Kai's mood swings were directly correlated to Thorne's comments. But why? She shook the feeling off and went to start cleaning up from breakfast. A small break would be great.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Kai prepared all morning. He used the ship's size to his advantage as he went through the different rooms aboard and decided which spaces best suited his plan. He even spent some time sorting through different cargo boxes that seemed to be strewn all over the floor near the Medbay. He found a few useful items, but he mostly found curious objects that he assumed were part of the stolen goods that the military had been unable to recover during Thorne's capture. When some creepy dolls stared up at him in one particularly large box, he decided to move on.

Despite his anger at breakfast, he had decided early on to ignore Thorne as much as possible and instead focus on the task at hand. But it didn't matter in the end. He realized pretty quickly that Thorne wasn't purposely out looking for him. In fact, he didn't make any effort at all to find or talk to Kai. After breakfast, Cress had taken his hand and led him out of the galley. He'd seen them a few times as he bustled around the ship, but they hadn't interacted with Kai much. They seemed lost in conversation whenever he would run into them. One time he even saw them with cards spread out in front of them, and it seemed like Thorne was teaching Cress a game. The idea of a blind man playing cards had made him laugh, but then he had immediately felt guilty and kind of like a jerk. He should really be giving him some credit. Kai had no idea what it was like to be blind, or really have any disability for that matter. He briefly wondered how Thorne had become blind in the first place, since Kai didn't remember that detail from any of his prison information. The thought of his prison photo winking up at him made him cringe in disgust again.

But the Carswell Thorne that sat with Cress seemed different. He seemed gentler with her and much more relaxed, as if she was able to melt away some of the cockiness that always exuded off his face whenever Kai was near him. And the more he studied the two of them together, the more he felt convinced that Cress must have a painfully large crush on Thorne. She was so attentive to him. And the blush that crept across her face every time Kai had walked by made Kai feel like he was disrupting something intimate. One time he had just been in the corridor and he saw her face as she stared at Thorne in front of her. It was one he had seen many times on the faces of other girls. Desire. _Longing._ No wonder she'd seemed jealous when Thorne spent the night with Cinder.

The thought of Thorne with Cinder brought him back to reality. As he stared at himself in the mirror of the ship's bathroom, he tried to make himself feel confident. _This was going to work. This was going to be great. _

He had even—reluctantly—conferred with Iko immediately after breakfast. It hadn't taken him long to convince her to be in his presence, though at first she had almost died with giggles. Cinder had been suspicious too, but then Iko insisted furiously that she leave when Kai had requested a private audience with her. It had been useful. She knew more about Cinder than anyone. After squealing a lot and saying some inappropriate things, she gave him some pointers, and it didn't take long for Kai to realize that Cinder's best friend was radically different from her. They made a funny yet endearing pair.

When their conversation had drifted to other topics, he also learned that Iko was probably the leader of the Carswell Thorne Fanclub.

"He was the one who got me this body!" she had gushed. "Can you believe it?"

"Really?" he asked, not sure what to say. Although he was getting used to being around her and all her hyperactivity, he was still having a hard time getting used to the fact she was still an android. An android with the most human personality he'd ever encountered.

"Well," she rushed on, "I know it's not as nice now, but that's because of those stupid Lunars. While you were unconscious, we were attacked, and well, I tried to save Cinder and my body was mutilated in the process. I promise, though, your Majesty, that my body was faaaabulous!" She had done a little twirl, and Kai had almost felt a blush coming on as he was forced to gaze up and down her feminine body. The body was indeed a bit mangled around the neck and shoulders, but he knew that most men would be delighted to have her as an escort.

"It was all the Captain!" she continued to gush. "He was so brave! He saved Cress, and he brought me this body all the way across the desert even though he was in complete danger! He outsmarted the traffickers, and then he even killed those Lunar Guards on the rooftop!" She sighed and fluttered her eyelashes. "And he's sooo handsome."

Yesterday she had thought _Kai _was the handsome one.

Kai looked at himself in the mirror again, frowning at the thought. _Pull yourself together, man_, he told himself firmly. You are becoming a crazy, unreasonable person! This is an android we are talking about. An android! You are not attracted to androids and you have no reason to be jealous that she thinks Thorne is so great. This is not about Thorne. This is about Cinder, and Cinder alone.

He smoothed his hair back after he realized that he had once again been anxiously raking his hands through his hair again. He adjusted his shirt a bit as well. Iko had shown him where the extra military clothes were after he decided that staying in his wedding clothes for the next two days was not an option. It wasn't his best look, but he felt comfortable and he knew that he looked good anyway. He looked good, and he was ready, and this was it.

He exited the bathroom and rounded the corridor in the direction of Cinder's room. It was already past noon and he wanted to catch her before she decided to go eat lunch. He reached her room, and saw that the door was propped open. Standing in the doorway, he could see her sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring at her metal arm, seemingly in deep concentration. He cleared his throat. She jumped.

"Kai!" she exclaimed, shaking off the dazed look on her face.

"What were you doing?" he asked curiously. She flushed. "Nothing, nothing. How…can I help you?"

She seemed nervous again, and he hoped that it was his presence that was making her nervous.

"Got any plans this afternoon?"

"What do you mean?"

"I wanted to try again, and we never really got the chance, so…" he took a deep breath, trying to stop his mumbling. _You kissed. She backed away because of Levana, not you. She _likes_ you._ "…might I have the pleasure of accompanying you to lunch?"

She hesitated briefly, a look crossing over her face that he couldn't quite place, and he prepared himself for the same feeling of rejection he always got every time Cinder turned him down. Stars, he'd almost gotten used to it. But then she beamed up at him. His heart flipped. It was all the assurance he needed.

"In fact, would you want to spend the whole afternoon with me…on a date?" He put on his most brilliant smile.

"You want to go on a date on this ship?" She asked incredulously, though she continued to smile. "Isn't it a bit…crowded?"

"Well," he responded thoughtfully, "it's not really an ideal setting, and it's certainly no palace grounds, but hey, we're supposed to be resting and relaxing and 'getting to know each other', right? I would really like to get to know _you_ better."

She was still smiling. This was good.

"I would like to get to know you better too."

He relaxed, feeling happier than he had all day. "I've made some plans for us, so I can give you a few minutes to freshen up if you like and then we'll be ready to go."

"Freshen up?" she asked, her face falling. "I—I don't have anything else to wear. I'm probably not the type of girl you're used to." She clapped a hand over her mouth and looked at him with wide eyes. "Sorry! I didn't mean to say that last part out loud."

"No, I'm sorry," he blurted, realizing his mistake. "I didn't mean to imply anything. I know girls like to get ready for dates and I'm a guy so I don't know what that entails and it stupidly slipped my mind again that we're on a ship and of course there's nothing else to wear..." Kai hated himself for rambling like an idiot.

When her face didn't seem to brighten, he did a little spin, pausing dramatically in his best faux fashion model pose. "See? Anyone can make these military outfits look good. Soon they'll be all the rave."

But her face fell even more. "You look great, Kai, but I—I mean I know that maybe we got over the mechanic part and the Lunar part and even the cyborg part but I'm just a normal person and you—you're a prince—an Emperor !"

"You're technically a princess."

She winced."You know what I mean."

He stepped closer and took her hand into his. With his other hand, he brushed a few strands of her hair over her ear. When she looked up at him, her face had softened. She looked so vulnerable. He leaned close to her and felt her hand shake slightly. His heartbeat quickened. "I thought I made it clear yesterday," he murmured into her ear, "that I like you just the way you are." He brushed his lips on her hair, and then let them linger on her forehead. "I am happy to demonstrate again if you like."

Cinder laughed and pulled away to look up at him, and he was surprised to find how much he wanted to close the gap between them again. Instead, he just smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Really. I just want to be Kai today." He wanted desperately for her to accept. For her to understand. "And I just want you to be Cinder."

"You really planned a date on a ship for me." It was a confirmation, not a question.

"For us," Kai amended. "It's the least I could do after imprisoning you and then chasing you around the galaxy."

"Well you finally got me," she said, her lips quirking. "Though after that I guess I shouldn't give you the time of day."

He pouted, pretending to be hurt. "How did I know you would end up being the lost princess I was looking for all along?"

She smacked his side playfully. "After all this asking, this better be the best date of my life." He held his hands up. "Hey, I've been kidnapped and don't have all the resources I'm normally used to. My skills can't be judged on only this one date."

"I'm sure it will be great," she said.

"Well then, Linh-mei," he said, extending his hand to hers. "Shall we?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

She tried to keep her thoughts straight, but a jumbled mess of emotions kept flooding Cinder as she walked next to Kai in anticipation of their "date." So many thoughts and memories swept through her all at once. Memories of Kai visiting her booth at the New Beijing market for the first time criss-crossed with vivid pictures of Kai leaning close to her in the palace elevator. She remembered feeling so flustered by Kai before, and yet even now he was able to make the different chemicals in her body change enough that the scrawling writing would pop up in her vision now and then. It warned her to breathe deeply and calm down, and she was glad that at least her surgeons hadn't thought to include some sort of speaker that could alert the people around her to what she thinking.

Walking next to him now felt almost normal, almost like he was someone she had known for a long time. In reality she barely knew him. Had it really only been about a month? Most of that time wasn't even spent with him, but rather escaping him – or at least his military. But she'd been watching his actions so closely on the netscreens over the last several weeks that it felt like she'd been near him all along. But reality with him had been much more of an emotional rollercoaster. She remembered the hurt she felt when he hadn't trusted her when she tried to rescue him from Levana. The nerves that had almost overpowered her as she tried to get him to understand who she really was. The relief she'd felt at him finally knowing the truth – and his acceptance of the truth. Her lips that seemed to still burn from their first real kiss. Technically, it was their second kiss, but the one from last night was the only one that really counted. She didn't have anything else to hide anymore. It was just her. And maybe, with Kai being temporarily relieved of his duties as an Emperor, he could just be him too.

She also felt conflicted about the unfortunate turn of events after Wolf's news. It was so important for them to work as quickly as they could to stop Levana so that the war against Earth could end. But if Cinder felt sad at all, she knew it could be nothing compared to how much Wolf was hurting, and she herself wanted to get Scarlet back almost as bad as she wanted to overthrow Levana. She felt guilty that she now got to spend time with Kai, while all Wolf could do was grieve Scarlet. When all this was over, would that be her or Kai? She didn't entertain the thought for more than half a second. There still wasn't room to think about a future between her and Kai. She had meant what she'd said to him in his office.

He was the Emperor of a country. But now she was the heir to a throne. Surely that at least pushed her into the same class as Kai, even if only by technical definitions. But Cinder still had no idea what it meant to be a princess, to be royalty. Kai had probably gone to parties his whole life and mingled with other royalty. Was that the type of person he was expected to marry? Cinder's heart reeled. What was she doing to herself? They hadn't even made it to the moon yet. Who knew if anyone of them would even survive this war. And if they both did, well, would she be stuck back up on Luna forever?

She tried to push some of her negative thoughts out and stay present in the moment. At least Kai seemed to be in a better mood than breakfast. He had certainly surprised her with this offer, but she couldn't help feeling excitement and even joyful anticipation at the thought of spending a whole day with him. And considering that she'd never been on a date before, she didn't really know what to expect.

He slid his hand into hers. It was a gentle and assuring gesture, and the ease with which he did it gave her butterflies. He had touched her hands a few times before, but it was so new without any gloves – without any hiding. Her bare skinned burned even more at his touch now. When she clasped her fingers around his in return, he gave her a quick squeeze.

"You okay?" he asked, turning to look at her. She looked back at him, temporarily dazed by all she had been thinking about in her fight to return to reality.

"Yeah."

"You seem like you're somewhere else."

"Sorry. There's just a lot of things on my mind."

"Anything in particular?" He seemed genuinely curious.

"Just, you know…it's hard to think that we're going to go on a date while Levana is destroying Earth and all these people are dying." It was only a partial lie. But there was no way she was going to tell him everything else that she'd just been thinking about.

His eyes darkened a bit. "You're right, it is hard to think about anything else."

"You seem to be doing okay."

"Well," he said thoughtfully, "it's not that I'm completely fine about everything, it's just that…well, for the first time in my life I don't have anyone watching me or telling me what to do. I can just be myself for a while. And if we have half of today to spend together then I want to focus my energy on feeling good about that. Levana's already doing her damage. She can't steal this moment too."

"Unless someone attacks the Rampion right now." Cinder felt like such a downer. But Kai didn't seem fazed.

"Considering that you evaded capture for this entire time, I think it's rather unlikely that at this precise moment someone will find the ship. Besides, I've been planning all morning." He blushed a little and Cinder couldn't help thinking how handsome he looked when he was flustered.

"What have you been planning, the date?" asked Cinder.

"Not really so much the date. I mean, it's sort of a typical first date, but more so I've been working on adjusting some…environmental elements." He looked rather pleased with himself and Cinder couldn't help wonder what he could possibly mean by "environmental elements."

"So I've been wondering," he continued, "is there a way for you to just…turn off the netscreen in your head? Or at least, maybe just put it on a sleep mode?" She laughed. "Sleep mode?"

"I mean, just so we don't have any distractions. It'll be hard enough with other people always milling around on this ship. And since we've known each other there have just always been interruptions every time we've been near each other."

"Life always has interruptions, Kai."

"I know, but how many other times will we have no responsibilities and just time on our hands? How about it? Just you and me? Sleep mode?" He blushed again. "I mean, with the netscreen."

"I don't have to pull up any newsfeeds or anything, if that's what you mean."

"Okay," he said, sounding relieved, "then let's continue."

They had only gone down a few corridors during their conversation and he paused in front of a door.

She peered up at him, suspicious. "Wait. The date is…in your room?"

"Yes, I thought it would be good to have some privacy. Like I said, no distractions." He smiled charmingly at her, but she hesitated. He laughed and seemed to recognize her hesitation. "Give me a break! It's not what you think."

He opened the door and beckoned for her to enter. "After you, my lady." He made a grand flourishing gesture and slight bow which, despite his borrowed military uniform, made him look like the Emperor he really was. And the Emperor was inviting her into his room. She inhaled deeply and stepped in.

What she saw nearly took her breath away.

Kai had transformed the room. Though the room he slept in was by blueprint and design identical to Cinder's room, it didn't look at all like the drab, empty military quarters she was used to. It looked completely different. Electrical wires hung everywhere, stretching from the top of the bunk on one side to above the door where she was standing. The wires were twisted and intertwined with what looked like emergency lighting strips, making intricate patterns all across the ceiling and almost covering them in a blanket of shimmering light. Since the room was so small, the effect of the lighting just made it that much more impressive. One of the emergency lighting strips was wound across itself, making the shape of a very clumsy looking star. Hanging from the wiring were little round objects that Cinder couldn't quite place, but she imagined that whatever they were, they were supposed to resemble a type of decorative globe that she had only seem a few times in the gardens of the rich. It was likely something that Thorne had brought on the ship in one of his boxes. A painting hung from the back wall, and she was sure it was another one of Thorne's items. The desk that was normally pushed to the back of the wall had been moved to the center of the room, with barely enough space for it between the bunk bed and the wall. Kai had draped a blanket over it, in what looked like a makeshift tablecloth. Plates and silverware from the kitchen were placed on top. The centerpiece also caught her eye. There were little wires sitting in a jar that wound up and out and shaped just as though they were part of a bouquet. A bouquet of flowers for her.

Kai stood there, just watching her take it in. He seemed really nervous, as if waiting for her approval. It wasn't really beautiful, but it was breathtaking. No one besides Iko had ever done anything nice for Cinder before. And certainly no one had done anything romantic for her before. In retrospect, Kai _had _given her those beautiful gloves. That was certainly romantic and thoughtful. But this beat it. This wasn't something fancy that he could buy, nor something that he could have someone else set up for him. He couldn't use his power or influence to alter this date. This was just him, trying to use whatever resources he could to create something romantic. He had taken something that was normally considered ugly and shown her that it could be something lovely. It was what she had never dared to hope that someone would think about her cyborg parts. The way that even _she_ couldn't think about them yet. He had invested his time into doing this for her. Just so he could surprise her. And that meant more than anything else that he could have done.

"Wow," she breathed. "You did this for me?"

"Iko gave me some tips." He shrugged, but she could tell that he was trying to hide a proud smile. Cinder felt like she was glowing brighter than the lighting.

"Thank you," she said. _It's perfect_, she wanted to add, making a mental note to thank Iko as well.

"I'm so glad you like it. Now please, have a seat." He moved to the table and held out one of the chairs for her. After he slid her chair into place, he had to climb onto the bunk bed mattress just to get around the table and reach his own chair on the other side.

"Lunch is served!" he called out, a grin spreading on his face. Cinder thought to ask why he was almost yelling, but at that moment Iko came bustling in.

She had changed back into the waitress uniform that she had used during their palace mission. She carried a large bowl of food in one hand and a pitcher of water in the other. She was also grinning from ear to ear.

"Your Majesty!" she gushed, "it looks _so_ beautiful! Cinder, isn't the Emperor just _so_ romantic?"

Kai grinned harder, but she could tell that he was slightly embarrassed by Iko's flattery. "He is," she said, and suddenly Kai looked more sure of himself. He shot her his signature prince charming grin. She melted.

"What's on the menu?" she asked.

Kai's face fell slightly, but only a little. "Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much variety in the food selections on this ship. I couldn't really come up with anything that you probably haven't already eaten."

"We didn't exactly have time to stock up on dim sum or wontons while we were busy rescuing you," she said dryly. Kai waved away her comment. "It's fine, I'm here for the conversation, not the food." Cinder just raised her eyebrows in mock disbelief.

Iko sat down the bowl and lingered almost too closely to the table, still grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks, Iko," said Kai, giving her a knowing look.

"We don't need someone to serve us, by the way," said Cinder, flashing a smile at Iko. "I mean, it's nice, but you know that you don't have to serve him just because he's the Emperor. No offense, Kai."

"Oh no, no," Iko drawled, "it was actually my idea to act as the wait staff. It gives more of a date effect, don't you think? At least, if I were on a date at a restaurant I'd want to have some wait staff…" She trailed off, gazing at the lights dreamily as if she herself were about to go on a date as well.

"Okay, well thank you so much for helping out," said Cinder. "I'll see you later."

Iko tried to hide her pout as she turned to walk out the door. "I expect to hear every detail later!" she yelled behind her as she disappeared into the corridor, shutting the door.

As they ate, it didn't take long for her and Kai to fall into deep discussion. The ease with which they conversed almost took her by surprise. She remembered when he had told her that she was "kind of easy to talk to" and she couldn't help but think the same thing about him. It was mostly Cinder who talked, as many of Kai's actions had been broadcast for the world to see. She did learn several new things about Levana, though, and all that she was capable of. She also caught a glimpse into what his daily routine was like; he was part of so many committees and meetings and formal events. It seemed exhausting.

Cinder animatedly told Kai about everything that had happened since she had been put in prison, with Kai widening his eyes at some of the unbelievable parts and darkening at the sadder ones. She tried her best to tell him what she learned about Scarlet's grandmother, but left out the part about her cyborg transformation below the hanger on the farm. It had been enough to experience it with Thorne once. Maybe someday she would feel more prepared to talk about it, but she didn't want to think about it now. Kai's gaze barely left hers as she talked. While his stare sometimes made her dizzy, she dared herself to always look back at him, and only ever saw a beautiful warmth in his copper brown eyes. She understood now why he hadn't wanted any interruptions. They'd never before had the chance to just _be_.

When she tried to tell Kai about what little she knew of Cress so far, he interrupted her.

"I have a theory about Cress," he said.

"What theory?"

"I'm pretty sure she's got a thing for Carswell Thorne."

"Are you sure?" she asked, curious. She'd noticed that they acted a bit…couple-y…but she hadn't really stopped to think about it much.

"Well," he creased his forehead, "I guess I can't say I'm 100% sure, but I'd say as sure as I can be without her swooning right in front of him. This morning whenever I walked by, she just seemed to be completely taken by him."

"I guess it was bound to happen," Cinder confirmed.

"What do you mean?" said Kai.

"You probably haven't noticed yet since you've only been with us for a day, but Thorne is very confident and comfortable with women."

"Oh, I've noticed." Kai didn't sound too happy about noticing this, though.

Cinder bit her lip. "Well, he always talks about the effect he has on women. He does have quite the fan following on the net, I guess. Probably a bad-boy crush type of thing." Kai stared at her." It's hard to explain if you're not a girl." She rushed on, "And as much as I hate to admit it, he does have a way with words. Maybe Cress noticed."

Kai remained silent, and for the first time in their conversation it felt as though awkwardness had infiltrated in. But why?

"So, anyway…" said Cinder, pushing her plate away a bit and resting her elbows on the table. She had long since finished her food. "…back to Cress. Do you think he knows? I mean, he pretty much assumes every girl in the world will fall at his feet at first, but in my experience he usually comes around. Do you think Thorne likes her too? I haven't really had time to think about it, but I guess they did have quite a lot of time together in the desert. He's extremely protective of her._ And_," she held up her pointer finger as if to make a point, deep in thought, "they do hold hands a lot." The idea of Thorne falling in love seemed crazy, but at the same time made her smile.

Kai shrugged. "I'm not sure. I don't know what to think about him. He seems to have other priorities on his mind, if he does."

"Like what?"

"Well, last night when you were upset, I guess she was kind of jealous of you and Thorne…sleeping together. I mean…in the same room. Or whatever." Kai was starting to sound bitter. "If he likes Cress, why would he want to be with you and make her feel bad?"

"Wait, wait, wait." Cinder waved her hands in front of her impatiently. "First of all, Thorne and I are not sleeping together in any way, shape, or form, so please remove that horrible thought out of your brain, and second of all, what is the problem with you and Thorne anyway?"

"I'm pretty sure he likes you. Or at least, he did. He kind of gave me the impression that you two were together. Or have been."

"What!"

Kai looked at her desperately. Cinder gagged.

"Thorne and I have never been together, Kai!" The ridiculousness of this conversation was almost making her laugh out loud. And Kai's face was pretty priceless.

"Is that why you seem to get annoyed whenever he's around?"

Kai's ears turned pink but he looked at her indignantly. "What was I supposed to think? He took you to his room and then later came out all cocky and confident and arrogant and – "

"Kai, Thorne and I are just friends. I was just upset and barely remember anything from that part of the night, and when I woke up I was really confused about why I was in his room. But Thorne just teased me about _you_. He knows I like _you_." She only realized what she was saying after she said it. It should have been obvious, since she had kissed him, but saying it out loud felt different and more vulnerable.

Kai seemed to relax a little, though.

"Oh."

"He thought—he thought you liked me too. Sometimes when you made comments on TV about me, he would tease me then, too."

"I did like you! Sort of. I mean, I thought I did, and then I was so confused by you being lunar and a fugitive and a cyborg and I didn't know if you'd glamoured me so it was—it was just very confusing."

"Well, are you still confused about Thorne?" she asked.

"Well, I guess I just don't understand why he acted like he liked you and even goaded me about you while you were sleeping." Kai quickly told Cinder about some of the highlights of his conversation with Thorne at the cockpit.

Cinder frowned. _Boys_. "He's not usually like that. He's almost always upbeat. And he makes snarky comments and teases a lot but he's actually a pretty good guy. It sounds like he was intentionally trying to make you jealous."

"Well, it kind of worked."

"Look, Kai, he sort of thinks that he's a gift to all womenkind, and it can be pretty annoying, but believe me, Thorne does not like me nor think that I like him."

Kai looked appeased and some of the tension between them seemed to melt.

Well, thought Cinder, this was an interesting development, even coming from Thorne. And kind of annoying. But, Thorne did not know that her and Kai had kissed. In fact, probably no one knew. And two could play this game. As much as the idea made her gag once again, it also would be a great way to test the waters. At most, she could get back at him for treating Kai this way.

"Kai, do you trust me?" Kai looked at her, considering. "Yes...but I don't like the sound of that question. Why?" Cinder smiled up at him with mischief.

"Because Captain Carswell Thorne is about to get a taste of his own medicine."

Kai didn't seem convinced by her answer, but shrugged it off. He got up from the table and beckoned for her to do the same. When she had stood up, he slid the desk back into its corner.

"I think that's enough talk about Carswell Thorne for today," he said, rolling up his sleeves as he shot her a quick smile.

"What are we going to do now?"

"We," he said suggestively, raising his eyebrows, "are going to finish our dance. Without interruptions this time."

He extended his hand to her, palm up, and slight panic shot up through Cinder. Her last dance with Kai had ended horribly. It was almost painful to remember. She tried to divert her panic by stating the obvious. "You know I don't know any steps."

"This," he said, "is a different kind of dance." He took a step closer to her, still waiting for her to accept his outstretched hand. Cinder just stared at it.

"We don't have any music," she tried.

"We don't need any music."

He was even closer to her now, and she could feel his gaze upon her even though she stared at her feet. She knew that she would give in as soon as she met his eyes. But he dropped his hand from the air and raised the other to cup her chin. He tilted her face so she was forced to look up at him. His expression was kind, filled with longing and a hint of worry.

"We don't have to dance if you don't want to."

"It's just embarrassing, because I'm so bad and you're really good. And the last one ended in a disaster."

He used his other hand to brush her hair out of her face. "That's exactly why I thought it would be a good idea. I don't want your last memory of us together on Earth to be a bad one. I can't change that, but at least I can try to give you a new memory. Plus, I like dancing with you." He smiled and she felt herself melting. He could probably tell.

"Would it be okay to just try it for a few minutes? If you don't enjoy it, we can stop and do something else."

"Okay," she mumbled, too distracted to think about anything except his face so close to hers. He really was making an effort here.

He took her into the same stance that they had at the ball; one hand in his and the other on his shoulder. His other hand rested on her back. He hummed a tune quietly, almost under his breath, but this time the song was slow. Not like at the ball. So slow, that they barely needed to move at all. It was more like swaying. "Lights off," he said to the ship, and then the lights that he had hung up seemed to decorate the room even more. As if they were really somewhere else at a real dance. When his humming got a little more animated, he took a step out and spun her away from him. This time, without the child foot attached to her leg, she felt light and airy, and her spirits lifted. She silently thanked Dr. Erland. When he pulled her back, he pulled her in close enough that her hand naturally went up near his neck, and his hand lowered to her waist. She inhaled. He took the hand he held in his and slowly slid it back to his neck as well, and then moved his other hand down to her waist. She felt a tingle shoot up her spine, and when she dared look up at him, with his face so close to hers, she was sure he felt the same tingle.

His face was confident, kind, and gentle. He continued to hum the slow part of the tune, and after a while Cinder felt that she understood the rhythm. She moved closer to him so that she was almost resting her head on his shoulder. His lips were so close to her ear, and the humming noise, which was now just barely louder than a vibration, sent goose bumps down her spine. He continued swaying, gently rocking her to their imaginary beat.

She felt safe in his arms. This _was_ better than real dancing. She felt herself losing herself in his embrace until she really was resting her head completely on the crevice between his neck and shoulder. She didn't care what was coming next in the date. She just concentrated on the soothing sound of him breathing next to her. His steady heartbeat seemed to keep pace as they moved.

After awhile, she felt the brush of his hand through her hair. It woke her from her temporary reverie. His arms were protective around her and kept her close as she pulled back to peer at him. Then she surprised herself by giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. She expected him to kiss her back, but when she looked at him, Kai had a look of disbelief on his face.

"Linh-mei, I am_ shocked_!" he said, taking one hand off her waist and holding it across his heart. "This is only our first date!"

"But – I – we – already kissed and – I thought —" Cinder stammered, trying to turn her head. But he was already cupping her face with both his hands, forcing her to look at him. He was flashing his perfect, perfect smile.

"I'm just teasing you," he said, still not letting her look away. "It's nice to see you a bit flustered, since you're always so confident."

"I'm not that confident," she said defiantly.

"Believe me, Cinder, you are. Regardless, if we had actually gone to lunch together that day in New Beijing, of course I wouldn't have kissed you already, but, considering these are special circumstances…" he trailed off, his smile widening even more.

He kissed her cheek. Then her other cheek. Then her forehead, nose, chin, and back to her cheeks again. Just when she thought he never would, he brushed his lips against hers. She felt that same tingle, and closed her eyes. He kissed her again, gently, and then pulled her back into the dancing embrace, beginning to sway again.

Cinder knew their time on the ship would come to an end very soon, but she pushed away all the worries. For now, she just wanted to freeze this moment with Kai, and stay this way as long as possible.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"So you're a hacker _and_ a gamer," murmured Thorne, as he laid down his hand for Cress to see. She furrowed her brow. She couldn't believe how much luck he was having without even knowing what cards were in front of him.

"Nah, more just a hacker."

"Did you know that back before technology became popular, people who used computers and stuff were made fun of? Seen as uncool?"

"Yes" she responded as she checked her cards for better luck this round. "I've actually done a lot of research on the past eras. They fascinate me."

"I do know how much you like to research." He quirked his mouth in amusement and she wanted to add that his lips fascinated her too.

"Yes, I do."

The smile he flashed her made her want to dissolve into herself and so she kept quiet, glad that he couldn't see her as she stared longingly at him. Had she not resolved herself to getting better at hiding her love for him? She would really need to practice more before his eyesight came back.

"It's funny to me that you're a hacker," he continued.

"Why?"

"I don't know, because I'm completely incapable of understanding technology. I managed to convince a guard to give me a portscreen while I was in solitary confinement. But I couldn't even figure out how to access my comms! And then you're this hacker genius who took down the entire New Beijing security system in a few minutes. I bet the Emperor still doesn't even know that was _you_!"

She felt a tinge of pride at his words.

"Well, I probably wouldn't have been able to convince a guard to give me a portscreen so it wouldn't have been very useful even if I were in jail."

He nodded. "Persuasion does tend to be one of my fortes. But I've had a lot of time to practice. You, however, have not had a lot of time to practice playing this game, and I must admit that you are a worthy opponent."

Thorne had underestimated Cress when it came to learning Royals. She had picked it up quickly and was quite gleeful each time that she won. He hadn't known, of course, that her and Little Cress had spent hours each day playing each other in computer games and simulations while she was on the satellite. Royals was just another challenge. It also helped immensely that he couldn't see, of course.

Even though she'd still lost a lot of rounds today, she was quite sure that she could hold her own in a real game of cards now. And, she had at least done some damage to Thorne's ego. He was—of course—still as confident as ever, but she didn't really mind losing anyway.

"That's how I got my calf muscles!" she joked, as she folded her hand in defeat. "I had to do lots of leg exercises after losing any game."

Thorne smirked at her. "Calf muscles? You were pretty petite the last I saw you, darling." She loved it when he called her darling. It was rare, and she knew he was joking, but it reminded her of his teasing when they had first entered the hotel room in the oasis as newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

"Well, being in orbit does have its disadvantages, I guess."

"It's not necessarily a bad thing," he responded. "It just makes you more vulnerable to sudden attacks. We should work on that, Cress." He grinned evilly and then he stood up and found her shoulders in just a few seconds. He was getting good at locating her despite his blindness. She tried to get up to meet him but instead —to her amazement and utter shock—she found her feet leaving the ground as he lifted her up and swung her over his shoulder. He held her in place by her legs as she draped behind him. Cress squealed with delight.

"See how easily I can capture you?" He turned in a circle and as they spun around she felt a surge of excitement fill her lungs as she gasped for air.

"You know, I should have thought of this in the desert. But I guess in reality it's a bit hard to maintain my balance like this when I have no focal point. Plus, petite or not, you are HEAVY!" He laughed as set her down gently. As Cress reclaimed her balance, she noticed his carefree face fall a bit.

"Any time now, eyes. Any time." He tapped his eyelids impatiently, and then rubbed his forehead.

Cress giggled. "Do you talk to them a lot?"

"I like to tell them what to do every now and then. Since the stem cells are apparently growing, I think they better know who's boss from the start. Kind of like a stubborn child."

"Do you want to have children some day?" she blurted. She didn't know why she'd said it, and the expression in his face told her that it was the wrong subject to breach at this point.

"Um. Maybe."

She was happy when he changed the subject immediately. It was getting late anyway, and she knew that their day together would soon come to an end. It seemed liked they'd been playing and talking all day, only taking breaks to eat and every once in a while check the newsfeeds for any updates. They hadn't seen anyone in hours, and she kind of wondered what they were doing. Was it rude of her to only want to spend time with Thorne?

But she was having a great time. She loved the feeling of being near him in a more normal social setting. In the desert they were fighting to survive the whole time. Thorne was getting used to his blindness, she was learning about Earth, and just when she thought they could relax, she was kidnapped. After that it had been a whirlwind too – meeting Dr. Erland, escaping the Eastern Commonwealth military, and rescuing the Emperor. She was selfishly happy for a break—and almost giddy at seeing Thorne in his more normal, playful state. It was easy to talk and joke around with him.

But she also realized that she had underestimated the ease at which Thorne and Cinder got along too. Now that they weren't in any imminent danger, it was much easier to see how close they were. She felt such a strong connection to Thorne after their week together in the desert and oasis. What kind of connection must Thorne and Cinder feel after having spent even _more_ time together—alone? While most of her net dramas had focused on passionate love at first sight, she had also seen the shows where a deep friendship blossomed into love. Could that have happened with Thorne and Cinder? She didn't dare broach the subject with him, but every once in a while she had a strong urge to ask him if anything had happened between him and Cinder. There had been a few moments on the ship already when she had wondered if their relationship was more than friendship.

After all, he had made it clear that he wasn't interested in Cress. And even though she thought Cinder and the Emperor were more likely to be an item, she didn't know if Thorne was secretly in love with Cinder too. Or maybe not so secretly? He hadn't really been subtle in his dislike for the Emperor, and he seemed to delight in making him jealous. But he was here with her and clearly not with Cinder at this moment, and that was a good thing. She cherished every second of it.

She sighed, wishing that she had a best friend to confide in about all these things. Everything seemed more complicated in her head. She called up a familiar fantasy in which Thorne was being given a medal of honor for his heroics during the great battle against Luna, and Cress was at his side as his chosen date. But this time as she waved to the imaginary audience, they chanted, "Cinder! Cinder!" instead. She frowned, not aware of when her fantasies had become more like nightmares.

She looked at Thorne, as though staring at him could give her all the answers she wanted. He sat back in his chair and stretched his arms over his head, yawning. As his shirt lifted slightly, she felt heat rising on her cheeks as she saw the beginning of his abs peek out. Yes indeed, Thorne getting his sight back would be the death of her.

"I think it's time to call it quits," said Thorne, sinking into a relaxed position in the chair, legs splayed out.

Cress knew it was true, but she wanted to think of some way to keep him here, for herself, and stay in this perfect day for just a little longer. Maybe she could think of something interesting to talk about that would keep him engaged more. Maybe she could suggest that he teach her a few defensive moves against the attackers he had mentioned earlier. Or she could just tempt him with some dessert in the galley.

But she didn't get to finish her wandering thoughts, because suddenly Cinder and Kai came in from the hallway. She almost jumped, startled at the new company that had evaded them nearly the whole day.

"Hey guys," said Cinder, looking slightly embarrassed.

Thorne sat up a little straighter.

"Cinder, how was your day?" He had a knowing smile on his face, as if they shared some sort of secret.

"It's just gotten better, Captain," she said, walking over to him. And then she sat down on his lap and threw her arms around him.

* * *

><p>Kai gaped at her. Reeling from his incredible date with Cinder, all the warmth in his chest from just a moment before vanished instantly. She sat on Thorne's lap and twisted her hands into his hair as if it were something she did on a daily basis. Thorne, confusion etched into his features, sat frozen almost like a statue as she put her mouth next to his ear and whispered something seductively. He tried to open his mouth to reply, but she covered it with her hand, tugging playfully on his lips.<p>

"Thorne and I would like some alone time, please," she announced, in a girly voice that Kai had certainly never heard or imagined coming out of Cinder's mouth.

"But—" Thorne stuttered. She shushed him. "Kai?"

His jaw slowly moved back into a closed position as he realized Cinder was addressing him.

Right.

He was supposed to trust her. She didn't _really_ like Thorne. She had a plan. But he could only stare at the way she ran her fingers through Thorne's hair as she sat on top of him. He didn't like this plan anymore.

His heart raced. Back in his room, he hadn't wanted to rush anything with Cinder, believing that the best relationships developed like a slow fire. But _now._

His thoughts became more convoluted and unsure. No one even knew that they were technically together. Or that they'd kissed. Everyone presumably would figure it out, but still, it was all just speculation at this point. Seeing her with someone else in this moment, he knew he didn't want to share her anymore, even if it was just _pretend_ sharing. As Cinder's fingers trailed down to graze over Thorne's neck, murderous envy raged up inside of him.

And then he was leaping over the storage crates, reaching for the chair, and pulling Cinder off of Thorne.

And he was crushing Cinder into his arms, and pulling her lips to his, and showing the whole world that Cinder belonged with _him_.

And he didn't want to take it slow anymore, and he was kissing her so passionately that from now on her eyes would be only for him, only for them, only living for one more touch of his lips against hers.

And –

"Kai?"

"Huh?"

"I _said,_ I'd like some alone time with the Captain." She looked at him pointedly.

He exhaled, startled by the intensity of his thoughts only a moment ago, and loosened the collar on his shirt to give him room to breathe. The temperature of the room seemed to have spiked several degrees in his brief mental breakdown.

Right. He looked down at Cress, who had become a brick wall glued to her chair.

"Um, Cress?" he tried.

Her eyes widened at her name and she snapped her head up to meet his gaze.

"Your Majesty?"

"I need to debrief you on some of your intel regarding Queen Levana and her plans. Maybe in the cockpit?"

"Oh. Okay."

She got up and made to walk out the door, but stopped to glance back just once to see Cinder still cooing at Thorne, who finally seemed to have lost any trace of his cocky composure. He looked almost _nervous._ This made Kai's mood improve just a bit.

Kai caught up with Cress in the corridor after a few moments. She tried to wipe away her splotchy eyes, and he gracefully tried to pretend that he hadn't seen anything. But her crestfallen face still made him wince, and he imagined that her thoughts probably hadn't been much different than his own. He'd been right to think that she had feelings for Thorne. It was obvious that she had it _bad._

Feeling a bit awkward, he tried to reach out and touch her shoulder in a reassuring way. It was hard, because they had only spoken a few words to each other since he'd been on the ship. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. "Don't worry," he said, keeping his voice steady and gentle, "it's not what it looks like." A part of him felt like he was trying to convince himself almost as much as he was trying to convince her.

It seemed to work. By the time they got to the cockpit, he had managed to turn his thoughts back to the incredible date he'd had with Cinder before. Everything was going to be fine. He didn't need to understand everything that Cinder was doing. He certainly didn't like it, but this time, he was going to listen to her. She had asked him to trust her, and she had always shown in the past that she had his best interest at heart. This time, he would give her the trust she deserved.

Cress was a different story. While she was no longer crying, he could tell that she was still very unhappy. She sat down in the pilot's chair and rested her chin in her hands, not willing to look at him.

"Stars, I'm probably the last person you want to be around right now." He gave her his best playful smile and tried to say it in a joking tone, but he was a bit uncomfortable with this whole situation and it came out awkward instead. He raked his hands through his hair.

When she didn't respond or even acknowledge him, he slumped into the chair next to her. Whatever good intentions Cinder might have, there was no point in making this poor girl suffer anymore.

"Listen, I don't want you to feel obligated to talk to me just because I'm the Emperor. We don't know each other, and there's not a lot of reason for you to trust me. But I hope that you'll at least listen to me about one thing." He paused for effect, but she still didn't look at him.

"Cinder is not interested in Carswell Thorne."

This made Cress peer at him, albeit suspiciously.

"In fact, Cinder and I— we —" He hesitated. Despite his earlier internal struggle, he still found it hard to talk about his feelings for Cinder to other people. He was used to keeping everything to himself. "Cinder and I have feelings for each other."

"I thought you did." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but at least she was talking again.

"Well, you were right. And if I'm not mistaken, you have feelings for Thorne, don't you?" He cringed. He wasn't practiced in these types of conversations. His mother had died when he was fairly young, and he didn't have any siblings, let alone sisters. She looked away again, her cheeks burning bright red. He didn't want to push it any further.

After they sat silently for a while, she slowly swiveled to face him. Her expression was serious, contemplative—painful.

"I think Thorne might like Cinder."

His chest constricted. But this time it wasn't because he was jealous, but rather because her tone made it clear how much this thought must have been haunting her. She must have been dying to share this with someone. Based on what Cinder had told him about the events since Cress's botched "rescue," she probably didn't have close confidence with anyone on the ship besides Thorne. And if she were in love with Thorne…well, it was a tough situation to be in.

"I'm not really sure what he thinks." It was the best he could offer.

"Except that he seems to enjoy making me jealous."

She half smiled. "I think he was doing that on purpose."

"Probably."

"If Cinder doesn't like him, what was she doing just now?"

Kai shrugged. "Not totally sure. I know she did it on purpose though, maybe to make him feel uncomfortable for a change?"

"It's pretty hard to make the Captain feel uncomfortable."

"I'll bet."

They drifted into silence again. He thought a little more about Cinder's explanation of Cress trapped on the satellite with only Sybil Mira for company. What a horrible thought. He'd only been around Sybil Mira for a few months, and it had been unbearable – even in an over-sized palace. And then, to come to Earth and discover that Dr. Erland was her father only to have him die on the same day. His chest squeezed again and he wished that there was a way to erase all the pain that Levana caused—on everyone. On his people, on his planet, and on this girl that sat next to him. He reminded himself that this was why he was here—instead of on Earth. They were all joined by a common purpose.

"Hey, Cress?"

She looked at him again. Her eyes no longer looked as pained as before. Some relief washed over him. He was surprised at how much he cared.

"Can I give you some advice?"

She looked at him, curious. "About what?"

"You probably didn't get too much dating advice growing up, did you?"

"Dating advice? No, not really. Just what I saw in the dramas."

"Well, I'm not a big expert on dating at all, but I _am_ a guy, and I think there's something you should know about guys."

"Okay."

"I was just thinking…_some_ guys—maybe guys like Thorne—can have it pretty easy when it comes to women liking them. Really easy, in fact. And sometimes if it's too easy, we get bored."

"Bored?"

"It's maybe a bit of an ego thing. When things are too easy, it's not any fun. It depends on the guy."

"I don't really get it."

"What I mean is—maybe you should try playing hard to get. You know, don't make yourself as readily available for him. Or at least try to make it less obvious that you have a crush on him."

"I'm trying," she mumbled.

He smiled at her. "Well, at least he can't see you."

She frowned. "I'll think about it."

Before they could fall into silence again, he cleared his throat. "So…we should probably talk about Levana soon."

"Your Majesty?"

"Yes, Cress?"

"You won't tell him?"

He smiled, relaxing. "It'll be our little secret."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Cinder squirmed unhappily on Thorne's lap, but tried to make her face look as relaxed and flirtatious as possible as she smoothed her fingers through his hair. Guilt, scandal, and even a bit of revulsion threatened to spill out of her. She knew what they were thinking. The waves of emotions that flicked over both Kai and Cress showed her that she must be a better actress than she thought. But she was an imposter. She couldn't believe that anyone was falling for this.

The look on Kai's face confirmed that the suspicions he had voiced to her earlier in the day were not just paranoid delusions. Thorne's dabbling had been quite effective. But worse still was Cress – _Oh, Cress_. The expression on her face was making Cinder's heart break. Kai had been right. She was head over heels for Thorne. How had she not noticed before?

She shifted her fingers along his neck, and from the way Thorne was completely tense against her, she knew that she had made the right choice. It was very obvious that he did not in fact have any feelings for Cinder – just as she had expected. Good.

His bioelectricity hummed out of him, and she ached to reach for it. It felt nervous and conflicted, unlike his usual open and carefree feel. But she needed him in his current state – out of his comfort zone and clearly confused by her actions. It was her only chance to bring Thorne's guard down and get anything out of him. He would be too quick and clever otherwise. Besides, he deserved a little bit of a hard time after how jealous he'd made Kai. A part of her hoped that he felt like a piece of meat beneath her.

The second that Kai and Cress left the room, she released her grip on Thorne and practically launched herself off of him. Thorne scrambled up as well, his confused face already clouding with lines of anger.

"Aces, Cinder! What were you—what are you—" he fumbled for the right words, and after a moment of silence and exasperated gestures, his voice solidified. "What in the name of spades are you doing!?"

He was practically yelling at her. She wasn't used to it. It made her feel more uncomfortable, but she didn't care.

"Just reacting to how in love with me you are," she said with false sweetness and indifference.

He paled. "In love with you? But we're—you're—"

"I'm in love with you too. I just wanted to show you." Cinder half-gagged, half-laughed in her mind as she said it. She was trying desperately to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. "It's about time we made our love public."

She stepped close to him and trailed her finger on his arm. He flinched, and used his other hand to still hers.

"Stop it, Cinder."

But Cinder wasn't ready to stop yet. His face was too priceless. "I know you want me too, Captain."

"Stars, am I being glamoured?"

Cinder snorted. "If you were being glamoured, you wouldn't have any thoughts of doubt about how much you want me right now."

He didn't say anything, but he seemed to relax a little.

"Besides, isn't this what you've always wanted? For me to fall all over your charming self?"

A pause.

"No."

His voice came out small, and she was amazed. Her confident, cocky accomplice…at a loss for words? Her heart hummed with glee. But then she remembered the point of this conversation and she made her voice harsh.

"Oh really, _Captain_?" She spat his title on purpose. "If that's not what you wanted, then why are you going around trying to make Kai jealous?"

Thorne's discomfort became less distinguished. Letting go of her hand, he relaxed a bit. "Ahhh, I get it."

"Finally caught on?"

He rocked on his heels. "I can't help it if I'm a desirable man."

"Ew."

He smirked, looking pleased with himself. "Says the girl who was just sitting on my lap."

"Stop trying to change the subject. Poor Kai! He was—"

"Poor Kai? Poor Kai?" Thorne crossed his arms, his smirk leaving his face. "Yes, poor little rich boy, who's never had to sacrifice anything in his life. Poor Kai who we risked our lives for so he wouldn't make the stupidest decision in the world! Poor _Empero_r who threw us both in jail!"

"First of all," said Cinder indignantly, "you deserved to be in jail. Second of all, don't you dare talk about Kai that way. What do you know about him anyway? He's had to make a lot of sacrifices. More than you will probably ever know."

Thorne waved away her comments. "Point is, a real man should be able to handle a little competition."

Cinder was growing exasperated. "A real man!? And that standard being, what, you?"

Instead of answering, he moved to sit in the chair again. He rubbed his temples, looking tired. "Stop getting your wires crossed, Cinder. I heard him yelling at you in the podship dock and I thought maybe he had changed his mind about you." He sounded almost sheepish. "I was trying to look out for you."

Startled by his sudden confession, she softened a bit. "So you thought the best thing to do was to tell him we were together?"

"I've done nothing of the sort. I've been...incentivizing him."

"Incentivizing?"

"Once I realized that he still liked you, I changed tactics."

"That tactic being jealousy?"

"My dear little cyborg princess, still so naive." His swagger voice was back and she felt her irritation returning. "I told you when we met that I knew about love. Kai needed an extra push to show you his real feelings."

"Kai does not need a push. He's quite capable on his own. He asked me to the ball not once but _three_ times."

Thorne raised an eyebrow.

"One of those times," she added, "he flirted with me while asking me to the ball in front of, like, fifty people and then he basically locked us in an elevator and tried to kiss me! He is not that shy. He is flirty and confident and sure of himself."

Thorne smiled. "Interesting. Well he certainly didn't act flirty and confident last night."

"Well apparently no one can beat you, Thorne!"

He crossed his arms again. "You should be thanking me instead of yelling at me. Kai played directly into my hands. Or your hands, I should say. I knew he'd make a move with a little incentive to do so. Isn't that where you've been all day?"

"He already made a move last night!" The words slipped out before she could stop herself.

"Did he now?" Thorne said slyly, wiggling his eyebrows as a wicked grin lit up his face. "So, is the Emperor worth the all the rave? Good kisser?"

"Don't you even—"

He held up his hands. "Fine, fine. In either case I did you a favor."

"You've made him jealous, that's all you did."

"It's not like he claimed you. Look at Wolf and Scarlet—" he winced, catching himself. "Er, I mean, at least, look at how they were. That guy knows how to make other men back off from his woman. And it has nothing to do with him being a wolf hybrid soldier."

"Well your plan backfired. Thanks to you, Kai just thinks we had some secret love affair on the Rampion."

Thorne nodded, looking wistful. "It wouldn't be the first time there was some love on this ship."

No. No. No. How had Thorne already recaptured this conversation? She hated that he was so good at turning things around. In any other circumstance, this would have been the point in their conversation where she would have walked away, but she had to stay. She wasn't finished with him yet. The issue of Cress still needed to be addressed.

"If you're so great with love, then why are you being an _idiot_ with Cress?"

This must have caught Thorne completely by surprise, because he blanched and shot back up to his feet. His abrupt response made Cinder feel as though she had achieved a small victory in their conversation. She was on to something.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"What's going on with you two?"

He retreated. "Nothing."

Oh, so he wanted to play. She could play. She hadn't spent several weeks with him for nothing.

"You are _really _lucky you are blind right now. First, because it's making me take some pity on you. Second, because you couldn't see the look on Cress's face when I sat on your lap. I know you care about her, and the look would have crushed you."

"What look? What did you do?" Thorne said accusatorily.

She ignored him. "What did you do to _her_? Did you seduce her in the desert and then leave her? Did you add her to your stupid list of women you've loved and want to brag about?"

Thorne looked stricken. He swallowed hard. "What?"

"Was she just another conquest?"

Thorne, now scowling, said sarcastically, "I'm glad to see you think so highly of me."

Cinder bit her lip, guilt washing over her again. She knew that she wasn't playing fair. "I'm sorry. I don't really think that, I just—I just felt like I had to see your reaction."

"Let's get something straight, Cinder. A lot of women may fall for me, and I may have dated many of them, but I am _not_ a womanizer. And I don't appreciate you making me look like one in front of Cress."

"May I remind you that it was your idea to make it look like I was in a relationship with you!"

"This is different," he mumbled, looking down. He played with his hands and shifted uneasily on his feet.

Cinder's heart swelled for her friend. Maybe he did have real feelings for Cress. "It doesn't feel so great to have someone pretend to fawn over you while you like someone else, does it?" she said gently.

He didn't say anything.

She waited, but he still said nothing. The silence made her feel uncomfortable. She wasn't used to deeper conversations with him, and she didn't like the way he was drawing it out.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on now?"

"Nothing's going on."

She put her hands on her hips. "I guess if it's really no big deal then, I could just continue to make both of us feel revulsion as I flirt shamelessly with you in front of Cress."

He sighed and threw up his hands. "Fine. Cress told me she was in love with me in the desert."

Slightly caught off guard, Cinder thought back to how flustered Cress had been the first time they'd all spoken on the D-comm chip. Could it have been because of Thorne?

"Well, did you have the same reaction as you did just now with me?"

"No!" he exclaimed. "It's different with Cress. She was sick at the time, and she was sweet and naïve—whereas you were just freaking me out!"

Cinder couldn't help laughing for a second, and then bit her lip. "I was trying to freak you out. So what happened then?"

"Nothing. I told you, she had a fever at the time so she didn't know what she was saying. I guess in the end she did have a bit of a crush on me all along—well, at least when we first met. But then she saw the real me and now it's over."

Cinder frowned. "It doesn't seem over."

"What do you mean?"

"You can't see the way she looks at you."

Thorne rolled his eyes. "Trust me, everyone looks at me that way." Now it was Cinder's turn to roll her eyes. At least this conversation hadn't damaged his ego.

"She's probably just daydreaming. She does that a lot. You know, talks to herself, sings. That sort of thing."

"I don't think that's it."

"Well you don't know Cress that well yet."

"That's true," said Cinder, frowning, "but—"

"Besides, I asked her if she still loved me and she said no."

"She said no?" She couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice.

"Well technically she didn't say anything at all but it was painfully clear by her silence. It was just her fever talking in the desert."

"What? You told her how you felt?"

"No! I wasn't—I don't—"

Cinder groaned. "Thorne, you are _blind_. And I'm not talking about your eyes. You are a total idiot."

"Am not. Like I _said_, I already asked her."

"Let me get this straight…you asked her out?"

"No."

"You asked her to be yours?"

"No."

"You asked her to have your babies?"

"No!"

"Well, thank the stars because that last one makes vomit rise up in my mouth."

He harrumphed. "You should be so lucky." She waited while he muttered some more.

"My point is, you didn't exactly take a pro-active step. She already laid her heart bare—"

"—_If_ she did," he interrupted.

She ignored him. "She already laid her heart bare for you and you squashed her hopes. You have to offer something of yourself in return. You didn't. You only gave her the option to throw herself out there again and let you crush her heart."

"Oh spades, Cinder. This is not the dramatic situation you're making it. I didn't crush her heart. She was sick with fever."

"You're a crusher."

"I'm—"

"Crusher."

"Shut up."

Cinder was smiling broadly even though she knew Thorne was thoroughly annoyed. She was glad he couldn't see her.

"So, when are you going to tell her?"

"Tell her what?" he grumbled.

"That you like her!"

"I never said that I did."

She couldn't believe this. "Ohh no you don't! All this talk earlier about pushing people to show their real feelings, and all the while _you _shrink back and do nothing of the sort."

He shifted uncomfortably and shook his head. "We're not having this conversation."

"Carswell Thorne! You think you're all mysterious and hidden under a cloak of charm—"

"—so you think I'm charming?"

"—shut up Thorne! I've gotten to know you better over the past few weeks. Don't forget that one of your weaknesses is my glamour. I could glamour this out of you, you know."

"Sounds like a dream come true. Just make sure that when you mope about how guilty you feel later, don't come running to me."

"Thorne," she was practically whining. "You're driving me crazy. What about Cress, then?"

"What about her?"

"You're leading her on," she exclaimed, "acting like this!"

"No, I'm not. Thanks to you she probably now thinks that I like you. See? Problem solved."

"She still likes you!"

"Aces, Cinder. If I'm going to listen to anyone about how Cress feels, it'll be Cress, not you!" He was practically yelling again.

"Okay, okay," she said quickly. "Sorry! But just promise me that as soon as your vision comes back you'll _see_ what I'm talking about."

"I don't want to see it!" His face looked pained. This was yet another look she'd never seen on him. Her heart wrenched and she wanted nothing more than to make her friend be happy again.

"Why not?"

"I don't want her to be in love with me, okay? I'm not the right guy for her. I could never give her what she needs."

Here it was. He didn't think he deserved her. It was actually kind of sweet.

"Oh Thorne. You're not a bad guy."

"I'm not a good guy, though."

She considered this. "Maybe not in the _classic _definition of the term, but I think anyone who gets to know you will realize you're still a good guy. It's just hidden beneath your…charismatic and kleptomaniac personality."

He almost laughed. "Coming from you, princess, that's probably the best compliment I'll ever get."

She smiled. "Just think about what I said, okay?"

"Depends. When are you going to tell me about you and Kai?"

"Never!" she gloated, and was happy as he made a face at her.

"Come here," he beckoned, and held out his hand to her. She obliged and he slipped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. She hoped it meant that he was forgiving her for some of her earlier comments.

"You're kind of a stubborn pain, aren't you?" he said, but he was smiling.

"Not any more than you," she retorted, but she leaned her head into his shoulder for a brief second to show that she wasn't mad either.

"Now," said Thorne, "let's agree to never have you sit on my lap again. I know I'm irresistible but you have to learn to control yourself around me."

She elbowed him in the chest. "Then you control yourself around Kai."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "I'm not sure I can. He's too dreamy for me."

"You know what I mean!"

He laughed. "So, where did they go, anyway?"

"I'm not sure. I told Kai to distract Cress."

He looked slightly displeased but didn't say anything.

"I'm gonna go find them, do you want to come?"

Thorne shook his head. "No, I think I'm going to go lay down. It's late and you've worn me out, Cinder."

"Who would have thought that was possible, Captain?"

He rolled his eyes. "Indeed."

"Goodnight, Thorne."

"Night, princess."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Cinder walked around the Rampion for a few minutes until she located Kai and Cress. She expected to find them in a somber state, but to her surprise, they were laughing – a lot. Kai was making gestures wildly in the air, as if he were recounting a funny story. Cinder had to take a moment to appreciate that of course his signature smile wouldn't be reserved only for her. It was one of the reasons he had such a large fan base. Cress's giggle was infectious, though, and Cinder couldn't keep the smile from growing on own her lips either. When she approached them, they looked up to greet her.

"Hey, Cinder," said Kai, the smile not leaving his face.

"What's so funny?" asked Cinder, curious.

"We were just exchanging stories about the crazy Lunars we have in common."

"It turns out that my interactions with Mistress Sybil may actually count as 'pleasant' in comparison to some of Kai's," said Cress, as Kai burst into laughter again.

"Right…" said Cinder, not totally sure what they were referring to. Cress had been trapped in a satellite for several years, which seemed unbearable. How could Cress be joking about this?

Kai, noticing Cinder's hesitation, tried to put on a more serious face. "Don't worry, we fully recognize how horrible Lunars are," he glanced at Cress, "well, at least _most_ Lunars. We just learned that we had more things in common than we thought, I guess. Don't worry about it."

Cinder shrugged. She had been mentally preparing herself to tell both of them that her and Thorne were not a couple, but it didn't seem necessary anymore. They seemed relaxed, so she relaxed too and let it go.

They heard footsteps and turned to the doorway as Wolf shuffled in. Both Kai and Cress stood up—Kai more abruptly. As he approached, she felt Kai tense up beside her. Despite knowing that Wolf was kind, Cinder had to admit that his presence was quite intimidating with his physical build and scars. Tonight he looked particularly wild, with gaunt eyes, unruly hair and an unshaven face. She wanted to give Kai an assuring squeeze, but she wasn't sure if he would want that kind of public display of affection. Instead, she took a step toward Wolf to greet him. He nodded to them.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked him.

"Mostly in my room."

"Oh, right. That's understandable, of course, considering..."she trailed off.

"It's not really that," he said, looking uncomfortable. "I was planning on coming over here earlier, but there was just too much…uh…heated discussion coming from a few rooms down."

He gave Cinder a knowing look. She fixed her eyes on Kai's shoe. "You know, enhanced wolf hearing. I felt like I was eavesdropping for most of the day."

"Heated discussion?" asked Cress, looking from Cinder to Wolf.

"Bickering," Wolf clarified. "Not to be—insensitive—but has everyone finally decided who likes who and all that? We have more pressing issues to think about." Kai and Cress both turned a little pink as Cinder tried to look indifferent. But the awkwardness between the four of them quickly became palpable.

"I know it was my idea to take a break today," Wolf continued, "but I guess I didn't realize that entailed – nevermind."

Kai cleared his throat. "More pressing issues. Of course. I've had a few thoughts today about this whole situation and how we should proceed." His voice had turned brisk and business-like, and Cinder imagined him speaking to a group of very important people. It had been easy to forget today that he was the Emperor, and she didn't like being reminded. It felt like a barrier was being put up between them again.

"We need to find a way to contact my advisor, Torin. He's capable, but I need to let him know that I'm okay. He'll have a clearer head once he hears from me. Furthermore, there are some decisions that are going to be made on Earth regarding this war for which I cannot be absent from, even if I am not able to be physically present."

It was Cress who interjected. Cinder could tell that she still didn't seem comfortable with the attention given to her whenever she spoke, but her voice was less quiet than usual. "No," she said firmly. "It's not a good idea for you to contact anyone, or for _any _of us to contact anyone. We need to make sure we stay undetected. It's hard enough as it is to keep the satellites pointed away from us. We don't want to risk someone tracing a signal we put out. Queen Levana may have already found another way to bug the palace in order to procure more information during these attacks. She's likely very eager to find you."

Kai didn't budge. "I appreciate your concern, but I don't think that this should be your decision to make."

"It's not just Cress' decision," said Cinder. "She's our resident IT specialist. If she says we can be detected, you have to listen to her. We can't jeopardize being found right now."

Wolf nodded solemnly. "She's protected the ship from the start."

Kai looked annoyed as Cress' cheeks turned pink again. "Besides," she said, "I really don't think we should be making any decisions without Thorne. Where is he, anyway?"

"He was tired, so he decided to go to bed," Cinder stated matter-of-factly.

Wolf surveyed them. "That's probably not a bad idea. We all need to think about our next move. Levana should have arrived on Luna by now, and tomorrow we need to get down to business and be serious. I think we should run through a training regime."

They all eyed him wearily.

"Well, more on that tomorrow," he added. He moved to sit in one of the chairs and Kai flinched. Wolf bristled.

"I'm sorry for what I am, Your Majesty, but I think you can rest assured knowing that if I had wanted to hurt you – or anyone on this ship, for that matter – I would have been capable of doing so in the last twenty-four hours."

Kai looked slightly mollified, but he remained formal. "My apologies. It's just taking time to get used to…everything. I appreciate you helping Cinder and being a part of this mission. Please, just give me some time to adjust."

Wolf dipped his head slightly, then sat down. "Understood. In the meantime, Cress, I'd like to see if you are able to hack into any of Luna's records. Maybe you can find some information on Jacin Clay or anything else that can lead us to Princess Winter."

Cress nodded. "I can do that. Is it okay if I start tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"Jacin Clay?" asked Kai, glancing at Cinder. "Is that the guard who boarded the ship with Sybil?"

Wolf scowled. "That's the one. He's the one that left us to die on the palace rooftop."

"Why are we looking for him then?"

"We're not looking for him, specifically. He'll be back in Levana's clutches if Levana hasn't already had him executed for treason. However, he told Cinder that he was loyal to Princess Winter, and she could be a potential ally in this revolution. We don't have too many leads, so any bit of information at this point can help us."

"I see," said Kai. "I'll be very interested in meeting her if we are able to figure out where she is. I've had many conversations about her with other union leaders."

Cinder raised her eyebrows but let it go. "Let's finish this discussion tomorrow, okay? It can't hurt to sleep on it."

"Good idea," said Cress.

"Has anyone seen Iko, by the way?" asked Cinder. She hadn't seen her friend since lunch and it was unlike her not to make her presence known.

"She was in the kitchen while I was eating dinner," said Wolf. "She was watching a net drama and seemed pretty absorbed in it." Cinder laughed to herself. Typical Iko.

Wolf turned in the chair and faced the moon. His posture and face made it clear that the conversation was over and that he wanted to be left alone.

"Come on, Cinder," said Kai, gently tugging on her hand as he steered her away from Wolf. "I'll walk you and Cress to your rooms."

Cress looked at his hand on Cinder's. One side of her mouth worked its way into a smile, and she looked at them wistfully. "Thanks for the talk, Your Majesty."

Kai tilted his head to her and winked. "Anytime, Cress."

As they walked down the hallway, Cress began to hum softly. It was endearing, and it made it sound as though she were happy about something. When they rounded the corner, the bathroom door opened and Thorne stepped out.

He was wearing nothing but a towel that hung loosely from his hips.

Cress stopped humming as Cinder blinked in surprise. She hated her synthetic eyes more than ever as her retina scanner started trying to analyze the angles of his torso.

"Hey Cress!" he said cheerfully. He ran a comb through his wet hair a few times, sleeking it back. Cinder, Kai, and Cress just stared at him.

She found her voice first. "What are you doing?"

"Cinder?" He seemed mildly surprised. "I thought I heard Cress humming."

"Cress is here."

"Evening, ladies," he said, the grin returning to his face.

"Kai is here too."

His grin became a smirk. "Of course he is."

Kai raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you just standing there in your towel?" she demanded.

"Well, Cinder, usually that's what you wear when you get out of the shower. Last time I checked it worked the same way in the Eastern Commonwealth."

"I thought you were going to bed."

"I am going to bed."

She rolled her eyes and couldn't keep the disdain out of her voice. "I forgot you take half-hour showers."

He continued to run his comb through his hair, looking as though he were part of a net advertisement for hair product. "We've got good soap on this ship."

Kai scratched his ear and looked away from Thorne. "Could you please put a shirt on?"

Thorne smirked again. "What are we, in third grade? I was just heading to my room. Besides, Cress has seen me without a shirt on and she didn't freak out."

Cress's eyes widened as Cinder and Kai turned to look at her instead and she let out a little squeak.

"There you are." Thorne turned in her direction. "I'm glad I ran into you. We were so rudely interrupted by Cinder earlier that I didn't even get a chance to say goodnight. Do you want to come hang out for a few minutes?"

Cress's face told Cinder that she was going to need help forming a coherent response.

"I promise to put a shirt on?" Thorne offered in the silence.

Kai nudged Cress's shoulder. She turned and blinked at him, flustered. Kai shook his head at her firmly.

"I—I'm really tired, actually."

"Aw, c'mon Cress." He leaned back into the bathroom and deposited his comb on the sink, retrieving what looked like the clothes he had been wearing earlier in the day.

Kai gestured in the opposite direction of Thorne while mouthing silently at Cress: "Walk...away..."

Cinder furrowed her brow, unsure of what exactly was going on. But Cress seemed to regain her composure and gave Kai a curt nod.

"We have a lot to do tomorrow and I should really rest."

"Okay, then…sleep well."

"Thanks, Captain." With that, she spun around quickly and hurried down the corridor where they had come from. Cinder knew that this was definitely not the direction in which her bedroom was located, but kept silent.

"Well, that's that I guess." Thorne headed down the hallway to his room. "You two behave now," he drawled wickedly over his shoulder.

Cinder looked awkwardly at Kai. He scratched his ear again and looked her over. "The fun never stops with him around, does it?"

"Trust me, you get used to it. Well…sort of."

* * *

><p>Thorne found his bunk and collapsed into it, exhausted. But instead of falling into his usual deep sleep, he laid there staring into the ever-present darkness that he was reluctantly growing accustomed to. The nagging thoughts in his head wouldn't leave him alone. He cursed into the blackness as unwanted scenarios played with his mind. Why had he meddled?<p>

Leave it to the awkward lunar cyborg. He had underestimated her. A mistake he would not be making again.

He was Carswell Thorne. He could handle this. No big deal.

Besides, what did she know anyway?

He sighed. No, this day had not gone according to plan.

Touché, Cinder.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Kai walked Cinder to her room. When she entered, he lingered at her door. She looked at him curiously. "Do you want to come in?"

He hesitated. "I do, but I'm not sure if it would be appropriate."

Cinder cocked her head, trying to read him. "We spent most of the day in your room."

A look of indecision flickered over his face, but then he nodded slowly. "You're right."

He walked in, but instead of coming near her, he leaned himself against the door frame, crossing one leg over the other and slipping his hands into his pockets. He regarded her intently, and Cinder felt a prick of nervousness sweep over her. Why couldn't she make her heart get used to his presence? Surely this had to pass at some point. Feeling drained, she sat down on her bed and hugged her knees into her chest. This way, she could better avoid fiddling with her now glove-less hand.

Kai gave her a slow smile. "I really like Cress. I'm glad that you had me hang out with her while you talked to Thorne."

"I noticed. I'm surprised that you're not dying to know how that conversation went."

"Nah. I realized a few things while you were sitting on his lap—"

"Don't remind me." Cinder cringed and covered her face with her hands.

"If I'm honest, I was initially jealous, but you were right—I should just trust you. It's none of my business really."

"It is, though. It was just a ruse. And Thorne didn't like it either."

He broke into a grin. "That I could see quite clearly."

Cinder noticed the tone of satisfaction that was in his voice. Yes, she would probably feel triumph as well if she were in his shoes.

"Did you talk to Cress about Thorne?"

He considered the question. "In a manner of speaking…yes." He didn't offer any more information though, and Cinder decided to save that conversation for another day. She'd engaged in the Thorne-Cress saga too much today already.

They drifted into silence. Cinder hugged her legs tighter. She looked up and saw that he was still staring at her intently. "What?"

He sighed. "Nothing."

"Kai…you're making me nervous."

"Am I?" He let out a slow breath. "And here I thought I was nervous enough for the both of us."

Cinder felt her own nerves spike. "What are you nervous about?"

He stared at her for a moment longer, then pushed himself off the wall. He walked a few paces closer and gestured to her bed. "May I?"

Cinder nodded. He sat down at least two feet away from her, looking stiff and uncomfortable. After a few moments, he scooted backwards in the bed until he was leaning against one of the posts. Cinder had to turn herself around to avoid craning her neck when she looked at him. She crossed her legs and studied him as he fiddled with the sleeves on his shirt. She wasn't used to seeing him like this, especially because it was so different from the demeanor he'd had only hours earlier.

"Kai."

"Hmm?"

"You said I was easy to talk to. So talk to me."

He looked up at her, his face shy and hesitant. "I'm not sure where to go from here, honestly. I hope that you liked what we did this afternoon, and hopefully I seemed more confident than I really am in this department. I mean, I've been on some dates, but—being a prince growing up you have certain expectations—there were other responsibilities—er, I haven't really had a lot of time to plan through what would happen when I actually did fall for someone." He looked sheepish.

Relief washed through Cinder. With all of Kai's flirtatiousness in New Beijing, she had imagined that he was more experienced with matters of the heart. At least she wasn't the only one who had no clue what was normal or not in the course of a relationship.

"I've never even been on a date before," she admitted.

"Really?" He smiled kindly. "Sorry that I couldn't do any better this afternoon. Limited resources. You know, we went over that."

"No, I had a great time."

He brightened. "So did I. I had an incredible time."

She moved closer to him, and his face fell slightly.

"You're doing it again."

"What?"

"Being weird!"

He laughed, but it was strained. "There's more, unfortunately. I've had some time tonight to think about our...situation. And I feel, torn, I guess. There's this huge part of me that can't wait to see where this goes. I really like you, Cinder, and I can't stop thinking about you. I couldn't stop thinking about you no matter how hard I tried even after you escaped from prison. And last night, and today—wow! I just wish that all I could do was keep pursuing you, and do whatever normal couples do as they get to know each other."

Cinder's heart dropped despite the compliments. She knew there was a "but" coming. And she was pretty sure she knew what it was. The look on his face turned serious. "Running into Wolf tonight sobered me up."

"I know, Kai."

"You do?"

Cinder nodded. "Don't you think I feel the same?"

"It's just—what are we—how can we—stars I can't get say anything right today! In my office, when you and Iko broke in…you mocked me about some of my assumptions. You said, 'there was never going to be a forever.' I realized in that moment that you were right, because as you pointed out, I was the Emperor of a country and you—" he paused.

"I was a nobody," she offered.

"You were somebody to _me_. But I got it—it made sense the way you put it. But now," he rushed on, "things have changed. Stars, Cinder, you're the heir of Luna! And let's say we win, let's say we somehow make it through all that's about to come, and _do_ defeat Levana. Then what?"

She didn't know how to answer him. The look on his face confirmed all the doubts that had been weighing on her as well. She'd done a good job of pushing her problems away today, as if this day alone were the eye of a storm. It was too frightening to think about what would happen later, and the inevitable circumstances that would separate them even if they succeeded: her on Luna, and Kai on Earth.

Could there be a happy ending for _any _of them? If they were able to save Scarlet, what would happen with her and Wolf when this was over? Surely they would refuse to be separated again. But one was Lunar, one was Earthen. Just like her and Kai. Technically—legally—they weren't even allowed to live in the same place. And if by some off chance Cress and Thorne ended up together, they would have the same problem.

Why was she even considering these scenarios? It was so silly to be thinking of these things with the prospect of taking on Levana looming so close in the future. If all of them survived this, that would be all that mattered. Wouldn't it? Yes, she told herself firmly. Maybe they couldn't all be together, but at least they would be safe.

Kai clenched his fists in frustration. "Above everything else, I feel so useless. I know we can't get to the moon any sooner, but this feeling of helplessness is driving me crazy. I've deserted my people and left everyone on Earth to deal with the mess I made."

"The mess _I _made," Cinder protested. "You didn't come willingly, remember? And, if you hadn't met me at all, you'd probably be happily married by now."

"Yes I'm sure I would have been just _brimming_ with joy if it weren't for you," he said grimly, but she knew he was teasing.

"Can we pause for a second and talk about that?"

"About what?"

"You marrying Levana."

He groaned. "What about it?"

"I know she just needs the marriage document in order to be Empress, but wouldn't there be someone more suitable? She's so much older than you – you can't tell me you don't think it's slightly creepy."

"Cinder, everything about Levana is creepy."

For a minute, they laughed about Levana. But it was short-lived.

"It wouldn't have been like a real marriage, Cinder. There are plenty of marriages—non-royal ones too—where affection is missing from the equation. It's a marriage of convenience – not that this made me feel any better about it. It's just what I've been trying to tell myself the last few weeks."

"And if she murders you right away then you don't need to worry about having an affection-less marriage."

"Wow. I'm glad I didn't have you as my council during that time period. Don't think I could have handled all your optimism."

She smirked.

"Besides, Torin pointed out that she wouldn't kill me right away. She needs an heir."

Cinder wrinkled her nose. She hadn't thought about that. "And _that's_ supposed to make you feel better?"

Kai shifted his eyes uncomfortably. "I know, I know. It's really gross."

"Right now it is…but I guess when it came down to it, you would probably enjoy it. She would just glamour you into it."

Kai looked horrified. "Oh stars…"

"Anyway," said Cinder, fumbling for the right words.

"Yeah," said Kai, "moving on…"

"Do you think we made a mistake, trying to get to know each other today? Do you…regret…that we kissed?" It was the question she'd wanted to ask him for a while. She braced herself for the worst.

A pang of realization followed by a look of hurt flashed over Kai's eyes. He quickly scooted in front of her, now only inches away from her face. The tips of his fingers barely grazed her knee.

"Oh, Cinder. No. Absolutely not. That's not what I meant. I just wish we had more time to actually be together."

He startled her by pulling her into a crushing embrace. She wrapped herself around him too, wishing that she could disappear in his arms. Kai rested his chin on her head as she buried her face in his chest. "What are we going to do?" he whispered into her hair.

"Can we just have a few more hours of pretend?"

"I'm not very good at pretending. Or hiding my emotions. At least, that's what Torin tells me."

"Then don't hide them, maybe?" Pressed up against him, Cinder was quickly losing the battle of her mind over her heart. This probably wouldn't be the right choice for either of them. "We could just…see what happens. We don't know for sure how any of this will turn out, anyway."

He squeezed her tighter and then kissed the top of her head. "Hey," she said, "I just realized that your soap smell is gone."

"What?" said Kai.

"You used to smell like soap. Probably the kind Thorne has on this ship is different than what you normally use, so now the scent is gone."

Kai chuckled. "Well you don't smell like grease anymore."

Cinder pulled her head up to give him a glare and he released her, laughing. He put his arms protectively in front of his body like a shield. "Just don't hit me with the titanium!"

For the first time, she didn't feel self-conscious about her cyborg hand. She knew Kai meant it in an endearing way. His reaction made her grin, but she swatted him with her human hand for good measure anyway.

Kai leaned against the wall and Cinder followed suit. He took her hand and laced their fingers together. "I want to know more about you, Cinder. I want to hear about your life, your plans, everything."

Cinder looked him, doubtful. "That's very…ambitious…Kai, but it doesn't matter right now. There's no room for plans. You know that."

He shrugged. "I know, I'm sorry. I just don't want the last month to be the only thing I know about you –regardless of how this ends."

"Well, there's not that much to know. My life as I know it really only started a few years ago."

"What do you mean?"

Cinder rested her head on his shoulder. She launched into the story of how she had woken up in France and come to live in the Eastern Commonwealth. Her life with the Linh family. Her work. Iko. Kai told her about what it was like growing up in the palace as a prince. They talked for what seemed like hours.

It was easier to focus on the past than to think about the future.

After Cinder had yawned more than a few times, Kai finally got up off the bed. "We should get some sleep. It seems like Wolf's got some things planned for us tomorrow."

She walked with him for the few feet it took to get to the door. He paused and turned towards her.

"I'm glad we talked so much today," he said, trailing his fingers through her hair.

"Even if we didn't solve anything?"

"Even then." He settled his hand on her cheek. For a brief moment, he looked into her eyes again, as if searching for something. But just as quickly, he closed them and brought his lips to hers. Cinder's own eyes fluttered shut as she let herself be kissed, once again, by the Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth. It still seemed surreal.

Their lips parted, and she expected him to pull away and bid her goodnight. But he kissed her again.

And again.

And again.

She reached for him, getting lost in the way her heart was doing somersaults. He pulled away briefly and smiled at her, looking a bit dazed. She craved more, and this time it was Cinder who explored his lips—slowly, gently, savoring each moment. He grabbed her waist and pulled her close to him. She felt the heat radiate off their lips as his kisses became more passionate.

Suddenly, he broke away, looking almost alarmed. "I have to go," he said, a rough edge to his voice.

"Okay," said Cinder weakly, as Kai hurried out the door.

She sat back down on her bed, almost trembling from Kai's adoring kisses. She wished, more than ever, that Peony could have been here now. Because Cinder had officially joined the throng of girls who swooned at Emperor Kaito's feet.

* * *

><p>Kai paced in his room, unable to fall asleep. What an intense day. Linh Cinder had given him many sleepless nights in the Eastern Commonwealth, so why had he expected it to be any different now? He just couldn't get this girl off of his mind. Hanging out with her was so much more enjoyable than anything else he had been doing lately. He should have let himself get kidnapped sooner.<p>

This was Cinder, the girl who was easy to talk to. The girl he had met at the market who had slowly captured his heart. The girl who had risked everything not once, but twice, to protect him.

She was so pretty. It was an unconventional type of pretty—the kind that you didn't find on a daily basis, and he treasured that. With everyone around him always fussing about looks and appearances, it was a relief to see that someone could pull off a natural look.

When the thought of his lips on hers came pouring back into his mind, he sat down on the bed, and collapsed backward in surrender.

He was in deep. Oh stars, was he in trouble.

Thoughts jumbled, he tried to remember all the rules of royal courtships. His parents had made him take a class once, though he had been quite young at the time and hadn't paid much attention. He didn't need the manual, however, to know that he was probably breaking every rule that existed. And in only one day, to make matters worse. He knew that as an Emperor he was required to uphold certain expectations and values that had been set by his family and ancestors before him. Expectations and values that he very strongly agreed with—until he had practically dissolved into Cinder's embrace and gotten carried away.

He still had a country to run. He could not afford to get carried away.

And neither could Cinder.

Because this was Princess Selene. The future Lunar Queen, if they were successful. The fate of all of Earth could very well rest in her hands.

And she was his.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

She dreamt that she was back in the satellite, playing games with Little Cress. She lost a game, and prepared herself to hear what exercise she would be forced to do. The text on the screen appeared:_ Sing._

Sing? Cress had programmed this game herself, and she knew that singing was not one of the options. She typed a command, and the processor whirred, but the text returned.

"Little Cress, re-compute." But Little Cress didn't answer. She was about to type another command when she heard a familiar voice respond, but it wasn't Little Cress.

"You have to sing."

_Thorne_. His voice was coming out of the speaker. "Sing, Cress."

She stared blankly at the screen as goosebumps prickled her arms. "Sing for me," his voice insisted. Feeling confused, she began to hum a few notes. Another disembodied voice boomed out of the speakers—louder, more insistent:

"Don't." It was the Emperor's voice.

"Please, Cress, I need you to sing for me."

"Don't do it, Cress," Kai repeated.

She hesitated, not sure of who she should listen to. After a moment, she heard movement behind her and spun around. Thorne was walking in the door. He smiled and she grinned back, relief washing over her. He was here to rescue to her.

"Heya gorgeous, I've been looking everywhere for you," he drawled. Cress's grin could have blinded the sun itself. He was here, he could see, and he thought she was gorgeous! She moved to meet him, but another figure swept by her abruptly. A beautiful, impossibly tall girl with all the right curves practically ran into Thorne's open arms.

They began to make out.

Cress felt something stab her chest, and she knew her heart was breaking into a million pieces.

When Thorne came up for air, he let out a contented groan. "Now that's what I'm talking about."

The girl smirked condescendingly over Thorne's shoulder when she noticed Cress watching them. "Looks like you've got another admirer," she said, and Thorne turned around to look at her too. As his eyes swept her over, Cress stared down at her petite, mostly straight body, covered in a dress that she had long grown out of. She felt completely inadequate.

"Who, Cress?" Thorne laughed. "Don't worry about her. She's been in love with me since before we even met. It's really pathetic."

Cress, shocked at his cruel words, tried to hold back the tears that were forming at the base of her eyes.

"That _is_ pathetic," said the girl, running a finger along Thorne's jawline.

"I had to kiss her once," he explained to the girl, putting one arm around her waist. "It was a mistake, though. Now she thinks we belong together, or something." He rolled his eyes.

"You…with _her_?"

"I know, right? How could anyone like her ever have anything to offer to all—" he swept a hand over his body, as if showcasing himself, "—of this?"

They began to laugh, mocking her. Thorne was _mocking_ her.

As her tears began to spill out, they only laughed harder, and she wanted to run away—to hide—but she had nowhere to go. If only she could get out of the satellite. If only she weren't trapped here!

She woke up with wet streaks on her face and a horrible sense of embarrassment in her gut. Was that what Thorne really thought about her? That she was pathetic and had nothing to offer him? Just the thought of those harsh words brought on a fresh set of tears, and she cried into her pillow.

Trying to calm herself, she convinced herself that those thoughts were irrational. Thorne would never say something like that. He was kind to her—even sweet. He cared about her. He didn't want to hurt Cress; he'd said so himself.

But the more she thought about it, the more she thought her dream was an accurate picture of what she could expect if she couldn't get over him. Thorne was older and more experienced. He'd had many girlfriends. And he had a mass of girls all over the globe that would gladly be with him. Why would he choose her? If they survived this ordeal, he would take off on the Rampion and inevitably go find his dream girl.

And that dream girl would probably have very long legs.

A noise ripped her thoughts back to reality, and she realized it was the chime of Dr. Erland's portscreen. It was time to give Thorne his eye drops.

She moaned into her pillow. Not now. She'd gone to bed determined to feel different in the morning. Her conversation with Kai had made her feel so much stronger about everything. But now she only had knots and a wave of nausea in her stomach when she thought about facing Thorne. Oh, why did she have to have these nightmares? Why did her subconscious have to push her back into a bad state of mind?

At least he wouldn't be able to see her blotchy eyes. It was a selfish thought, but it helped just a bit.

When she arrived in the kitchen, Thorne was already there. He looked tired.

"Morning," she mumbled.

"Morning," he grunted back, reaching for her. But the spot next to him was empty, since Cress had chosen to sit across the table instead. He looked briefly bewildered, then shrugged and returned to his food.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

"In my experience, when a girl says she's fine, it's a code red for all men to hit the ground running because she is likely anything _but _fine. Luckily for you, I can't run too well these days," he joked, giving her a crooked smile. But this time, she didn't feel herself melting like she usually did, because all she could imagine was the leggy girl who was about to come running in the door. Another wave of sadness washed over her.

She managed to get out a disinterested "mmm."

He frowned. "What's up, Cress?"

"Nothing."

"_Nothing_ seems to be right next to the list with _I'm fine."_

"I just didn't get much sleep."

"Oh, I see. I had a rather late night myself," he said, fiddling with his spoon. "Wish you would have come to hang out a bit."

Cress didn't respond. She silently let her head fall forward until her face was pressed onto the tabletop. Another advantage of Thorne's blindness—he couldn't see her act like a child right in front of him. She pulled on the short strands of hair that still remained on her head and screamed in her mind.

She was so sick of this emotional rollercoaster. One minute she was fine, the next minute she was sad. Then she was content with the current state of their relationship, whatever it was. The next minute, she was jealous of Thorne and Cinder. Then she was jealous of Kai and Cinder. Then she was miserable again. Then she was unsure of how to play the "hard to get" game that Kai had suggested. Then she was happy again. And just as suddenly, she was miserable again.

She pulled on her hair again for good measure.

"Ahem."

Lifting her head off the table, she saw Cinder and Iko standing in the doorway. Iko was staring curiously while Cinder just looked uncomfortable. "We're all ready in the main room when, um, whenever you two are ready to join us." She walked out briskly, pulling Iko with her.

"We should do your drops before we go out there."

Thorne brightened considerably. "Right!"

He leaned back in the chair and tilted his head the way he had done for the past two days, waiting for her. Cress scooted out of her chair and made her way over rather slowly, but he didn't fidget with impatience. She hovered over him, and he leaned back even more to open his eyes for her. She stared down at him, upside down, taking in his face so close to hers once again.

Sensations that she hadn't known existed until she had met him fought their way back into her heart, and they battled with all of the hopelessness she had felt only seconds before. She knew she shouldn't waste these precious moments being bitter or sad. This could be one of the last times that she would be so close to his face.

"It's your third day," she said, steadying one hand on his cheek before squeezing the drops with the other. Even though he was accustomed to the drops by now, he still blinked furiously and sent some of the solution spilling down his cheek.

"I know," he sighed happily, "I'm almost there."

She moved to brush away the streak of solution, and his hand encased hers. A jolt of electricity went through her as he turned around in the chair to face her.

"Thank you, Cress," he said softly, "for helping me get through this." He leaned his cheek into her hand and kissed the inside of her palm briefly, before releasing her.

Her breath hitched.

"I don't have that many real friends, but I'm glad—" he shook his head, looking slightly uncomfortable and unsure of what to say, "—I'm glad that you're one of them."

Friends. Of course they were friends.

An exaggerated throat clearing made both of them turn towards the door abruptly. Kai was standing there with his arms crossed, raising his eyebrow in disapproval at Cress. She quickly backed away from Thorne.

"Cinder sent me to see what was taking so long," he said pointedly. "Wolf is getting impatient."

"Yes, _Sir_," said Thorne sarcastically as he stood up, saluting in Kai's direction. Kai rolled his eyes.

"Cress, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, gesturing for her.

"Sure, Your Majesty," she replied. It would be good to have a distraction.

"I'd really like to speak with Cress privately for a moment," said Kai, as Thorne made his way over too. "Why don't you head over to the others? We'll just be a moment."

An unreadable expression flickered over Thorne's face before he turned in the direction of the door and made his way out. She was surprised that he didn't have a smart comment to add to his exit. When his footsteps had faded, Kai turned to Cress.

"So, uh, Cinder might have mentioned that you seemed...distressed...a little while ago, and so I came to check on you."

"You told her?!"

"No, I didn't say anything. She just saw you banging your head on the table or something and was concerned. I told her that I would go check on you—you know, see if you needed my help."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Whatever was going on between the two of you when I walked in certainly looked rather...cozy."

He averted his eyes as she blushed. "He was just thanking me for my help."

"Of course he was. Just a normal, friend thank you, is it?"

"I know, I know" she said dejectedly, looking at the ground.

"You just make sure he has the right intentions. And let me know if you need some help. I'm happy to step in."

She didn't have any idea how exactly Kai would "step in" to help her in this situation, but she didn't tell him that. It was, at least, slightly comforting to know that he wanted to look out for her. It was almost like she had a big brother to protect her. Well, maybe not _protect_ her, since Kai couldn't even protect himself from Thorne. But at least she had someone to talk to about this situation, even if it was the Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth himself.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting this story! You guys are awesome! I have a few specific things planned for the next couple chapters, so for those of you wondering about updates - don't worry, they are in the works. It's been hard to update during the holidays because of vacation and also working on two other stories for TLC Ship Weeks. But now I'm back and hopefully will have more time to focus on Jealousy. Thanks for your prompts and encouragement to continue! Here's a longer chapter to tide you over. This one is dedicated to Lorebeth, who has been a very ****devoted**** reader/reviewer and provided the awesome art for the cover image of this story. Check out her work: the_lunar_fangirl on Instagram.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<strong>

"Well, that's the worst idea I've ever heard."

"As if yours is any better?"

With everyone finally gathered in the cargo bay area and boxes grudgingly pushed as far away from the center as possible, tensions were escalating.

Everyone had their own ideas about the best way to land on Luna. Cress wasn't really contributing, as the stronger personalities in the room had much more to say than she did. That was okay with her; she preferred to observe anyway. Every once in awhile, they asked her opinion about their plans. Even though she had lived on the satellite for half of her life, she and Wolf were the only two that could even begin to describe what it was like to be on Luna.

Sure, Cinder and Iko had downloaded maps and even a general outlay of Artemisia's underground port entrances, but it was only what the net offered the world—which was not much. The Lunars had strategically opted to keep many of their ways a secret. Getting through port security was the biggest problem. Wolf thought the best thing to do was for Cress to hack their security system and then attempt a landing above ground. Kai was particularly nervous about the feasibility of this plan, but the idea of managing to land in an underground port only to be then discovered by the Lunars who manned that station did not seem to be wise either. After a lot of bickering, it seemed likely that they would have to leave the Rampion behind and take a podship instead. It was just too easy to detect, and simply too big for an attempted stealth landing. This, of course, brought a string of protests from Thorne.

On one hand, Cress thought that Thorne was acting childish and selfish. Why did he want to jeopardize their lives for a simple cargo ship? A ship that he had stolen, no less. On the other hand, she knew that the Rampion meant a lot to Thorne for some reason, and she figured that as a fugitive on the run, it was probably the only thing that he really felt attached to anymore. And since he had gone through such trouble to steal it, she tried to understand that it must be difficult for him to part with it willingly. After awhile, when the conversation was going nowhere, they decided to think on it—or at least, that Thorne should think on it.

Wolf then began to explain a bit about what life was like on Luna—at least how it had been until he had been recruited into the Queen's Army. Cress found herself drifting in her thoughts, as she personally had no desire to hear anything about the people who had turned against her, isolated her, and then tried to kill her. She observed the others instead, and saw Kai and Cinder listening intently. Kai stood quietly by Cinder, looking as though he were attuned to her every move. It was as if he didn't want to let her out of his reach. At one point, Kai moved his hand very subtly to Cinder's, and gently squeezed it. She squeezed back, and they both glanced at each other shyly. She could tell by their glances that in that brief second, no one else existed to them but the other. It was like watching a romantic drama, and Cress couldn't help leaning closer to Thorne to gush about what she saw. To her dismay, Thorne let out a low whistle.

Kai and Cinder let go of each other instantly. Wolf stopped talking. And for the first time ever, Cress wanted to smack Thorne.

"Well, well, well," said Thorne, smirking as he crossed his arms, "do our favorite two royals need some..._alone time_?"

Kai set his jaw in a firm line, while the look on Cinder's face would have burned Thorne to the ground if only he could have seen it. Cress cringed. She knew Thorne was trying to get a rise out of them, and she didn't like it.

Iko, however, clasped her hands together and sighed deeply. "They are so adorable! I predicted this! I did!"

"Iko," said Cinder through gritted teeth, "_situation appropriateness._"

Thorne puckered his lips and made a kissy noise. Cress thought she might die of mortification for the both of them.

"Princess, no need to get riled up, this is nothing compared to what the paparazzi is going to do when they get a hold of this story."

"Shut it, Thorne, if you know what's good for you," Cinder seethed.

"Cinder, you mistake my intentions," he replied, not phased at all by her threat. "I'm so glad you two have sorted everything out. Now we won't have to deal with all the Kai-Cinder angst anymore."

"Yeah, yeah, you're hilarious," said Kai, turning back to Wolf and putting an arm around Cinder almost protectively. Cress thought this was good idea, because Cinder looked like she was ready to charge Thorne. "Can we please continue?"

"Indeed," said Wolf, looking frustrated.

"Don't you two need a chaperone, though?" asked Thorne, ignoring them.

"Carswell Thorne—I swear—"

"Iko—back me up here," he continued. "Do a quick search on inter-planetary dating. Or even on courtship regulations between royal heirs. I think you guys might be breaking a whole lot of rules."

Iko looked a little flustered but a computing look came over her and it was clear that she was searching the net for the actual rules.

"Thank you, _Captain Thorne_," said Kai, trying to unclench his jaw in a show of self-restraint, "but as the Emperor of _my own country, _I do believe that I'm well aware of how these things work."

"Oh!" exclaimed Iko, a look of concern coming on her face. "Cinder, there are a lot of rules here based on treaties that have been made over the years! I've scanned them for you though, and it does seem like all dates must be supervised by a chaperone so as to preserve the...uh...virtue of the couple. Not really sure what that means."

Thorne burst out laughing. "This is great! Stars I wish I could see right now!"

Kai rubbed one hand over his temple, clearly trying to hide the red tint that was sweeping over his face. He kept one arm securely fastened around Cinder, though, who seemed to be at a loss for words, but was still shooting daggers at Thorne with her eyes.

Iko continued. "It also says here that because you are an heir from a non-Earthen nation and want to be with an heir of an Earthen nation, you're not actually allowed to be together at all. You would have to make a special type of treaty to join the two nations in order to be together. Oh! Oh Cinder! You would have to _marry_ Kai." At that, Iko began to shriek with joy.

Wolf cleared his throat. "Um, thank you, Iko, for—"

"Yes, thank you indeed, Iko, for clearing that up," interrupted Thorne. "I'm happy to chaperone. After all, I'm second oldest. Of course, you could go with Wolf, but considering that he's an ex-operative, I'd say he's the scarier option of the two. Probably like an overprotective older brother, if you get my drift. The kind with a hidden gun in the basement."

He flashed another grin, and this time Cress surprised herself by actually following through with her thoughts and consequently smacking him in the ribs.

"Ow, Cinder!"

"It was me," she said quietly, feeling guilty already.

"Cress? What gives?"

"Stop trying to embarrass them."

"I'm just teasing them, Cress. They should be able to handle it."

"Well I think they're romantic!" she said, gaining more confidence and conviction. "And if they want to be together, they should be able to be together! You shouldn't...make people feel like it's wrong to love someone! And you should just stop being mean. You're acting—you're acting like a bully!"

Everyone turned to stare at her. Thorne raised his eyebrow in a look of surprise that mixed with confusion. Then he softened, and held his arm out to her.

"Hey, are you mad at me?"

"Maybe," she replied, crossing her arms.

"I've never heard you even come close to having an outburst before. Why does this upset you so much?"

Because love was a beautiful thing. Because at least _someone_ should get to be together after waiting so long to find the right person, even if she couldn't be. Because Thorne should be romantic, not stupid. Because... "I've never heard you be so rude before."

Thorne scowled. "Finally getting to see the real me, are you?"

She looked away, uncomfortable that everyone was watching them bicker. She felt so bad for Cinder and Kai and for having been the one who told Thorne about them in the first place.

"Hey," said Kai, walking over to her. "Don't worry about him. Cinder and I are fine."

"Whoa, the Emperor to the rescue! What a surprise!" said Thorne, waving his hands dramatically and sounding more bitter than she had ever heard him.

"I think we should just get back to talking about Luna and all that," Cress muttered.

"Yes, _please_." said Wolf. She had almost forgotten about him. He probably felt very awkward. "Can we get back to my plan?"

"Fine," grumbled Thorne.

"We need to practice fighting."

Cress shrunk back as Wolf explained some tactical moves that they could all work on. She wanted to run away and hide. She was no fighter.

Wolf crossed his arms. "Alright then, let's partner up."

Cinder moved to stand by Kai and Thorne asked for Cress to come closer to him.

"I think I should be with Kai," she stated in a voice that was barely audible.

"What?" asked Thorne.

"I was just thinking that we're both more unfamiliar with fighting." This time her voice came out more clearly.

"You can fight with me," Thorne insisted. "I know your weaknesses better."

Thorne frowned when she didn't say anything. Cress shrugged uncomfortably and glanced at Kai for approval, so he nodded at her and flashed her a quick thumbs up. Cinder looked at them quizzically.

"No," said Wolf, surprising her. "The Emperor with Thorne and Cress with Cinder. It's more evenly matched."

Now it was Kai's turn to protest. "How so?"

"Cinder, you can't control Cress because she's a shell, and for the same reason she can't control you either. Think about the Lunar guards that attacked us while we were on the palace roof. They were not able to use mind control on you since they don't have a strong gift and therefore are easily controlled by a thaumaturge. They only fought with the normal fighting skills of a guard. This time we are training with more focus on physicality than on mentality. Since Cinder is really the only one who can glamour anyone, the rest of us need to be prepared to fight if we get the chance. You need to learn how to defend yourselves."

"Why am I with Kai?" asked Thorne.

"Neither of you have had any real training in fighting and you're of similar physical build. Neither of you are Lunar," stated Wolf matter-of-factly.

"Speak for yourselves," said Thorne. "I was the one who shot all the guards on the rooftop. Plus, I was in the military. I don't need any help 'defending myself.'"

Wolf frowned. "How long were you in the military?"

Cinder snorted. "For like, three months."

"We do get trained in fighting," said Thorne indignantly.

"Well," said Wolf slowly, looking like he was going to lose his patience very soon, "we'll change partners later so everyone gets to practice with everyone, but let's start like this. Thorne, since you're, uh, visually impaired right now, maybe it will lower you to Kai's level and it will be even after all."

"Lower him to my level?" asked Kai, sounding offended. "I've taken some self-defense classes too."

"You have?" Cinder turned to look at him.

"Don't sound so surprised," said Kai.

"Hey!" interrupted Thorne, "Wolf's right! I am blind. This wouldn't be a fair fight."

Wolf growled, and everyone quieted down. "We are _just_ practicing. Thorne, if that means that you have to throw yourself at the Emperor so that he can get some practice in, and you can get more practice feeling what's it like to be attacked while you're blind, then you will do precisely that. Just try to keep your egos in check for the rest of the day, will you?"

Kai and Thorne both glowered but didn't say anything. Cinder was looking from one to the other, doubt etched all over her features. Cress felt her hands grow sweaty when she realized that she was about to face off with a cyborg. Seeing her nervous reaction, Cinder smiled at her kindly.

"Cress, I'm not going to hurt you. We're not just going to start fighting each other spontaneously—this is going to be with Wolf's instructions. You'll get some kicks in too!"

This didn't really make Cress feel any better.

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Iko. "I'm certainly not fighting you again, Wolf! No offense."

"No matter," he said gruffly. "I won't be fighting, just coaching. If it's okay with you, I could use you for a few demonstrations, though."

"Oh," said Iko, "well only if it means all my limbs stay intact. You nearly ruined my body, even if you were being controlled by Sybil Mira."

"Your limbs will stay intact," promised Wolf.

Iko nodded and Wolf began to demonstrate a few moves. He spoke the names of the moves out loud so Thorne would hear what was going on. Then they broke into their pairs and practiced. Cress quickly became tired of blocking, kicking, punching, tripping, and everything else Wolf was showing them how to do. Cinder was right though—it wasn't as bad as Cress had imagined before. The moves were calculated and pre-determined, so that Cress knew when to move out of the way or where to hit. She knew it wouldn't be like this in a real battle, but at least she was learning a few steps.

Wolf came over to watch them and began to show Cress how to slip out of Cinder's grasp when she held her down. She thought this was particularly useful, considering that only a few days ago she had nearly been choked to death by one of the Lunar guards. After what seemed like ages of practicing, she was sweating. She had managed to block Cinder a few times, and every once in awhile was getting in a good offensive move. She was just starting to feel proud of herself, when Wolf let out another exasperated growl.

"You've got to be kidding me," he said under his breath.

She wasn't sure what he was referring to until she heard the scuffling behind her grow louder and angrier. Heart sinking, she spun around and almost collided with Cinder, who had also doubled forward. Kai and Thorne were practically wrestling each other, each one scrambling to shove the other down to the ground. Cress wanted to believe that they were just practicing, but the slightly unhinged looks on their faces made it painfully clear that this was personal.

"Okay," said Cinder. "We all know you're big, strong men with a lot to offer. Now cut it out, both of you!"

"He—started it!" exclaimed Kai, only pushing himself more into Thorne. Cress didn't doubt it, since she knew who of the two would be more likely to provoke a real fight.

"Don't make me glamour both of you!" said Cinder, but Cress saw that she was twiddling her fingers nervously.

They didn't let go of each other. She saw Kai lean closer to Thorne and mutter something to him that was apparently only audible to Wolf, who raised an eyebrow and began to walk away. The look of anger that flashed on Thorne's face, though, was unmistakable.

"You think—you know—everything—" Thorne grunted, trying to get a grip on Kai's collar.

_Thud._

Cress watched in horror as Thorne punched Kai right in the stomach. He doubled over onto the ground, holding his side and panting. Thorne stood victoriously over him, his voice dripping with arrogance. "That's right, pretty boy. How are those self-defense classes working now?"

"That's it," said Cinder, and launched herself at Thorne, who winced at the sudden impact. Kai sprang to his feet and quickly pulled Cinder off of Thorne. When she tried to run back at him, Kai wrapped his arms around her stomach, restraining her.

"Let me go, Kai," she said through her teeth, but he only tightened his embrace and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"It's not worth it," he said. "Plus, I'm fine."

"Yeah, Cinder," said Thorne, rolling up his sleeves. "Chill out. Your boyfriend and I were just having a man-to-man chat."

"There are a few things a man needs to own up to in order to claim that title," said Kai quietly, a warning glint emanating from his eyes.

Thorne glared, and Cress felt nervousness pinch her gut. She hadn't ever known Thorne to lose his calm. What was wrong with him? He had just _punched Kai_. She didn't want him to do anything else he might regret later.

"Well maybe as an _emperor_, you should have—"

Thorne stopped abruptly as Cress slid her hand into his.

"Captain?"

Silence.

"Yeah?" he finally asked.

"Will you take a break with me? I'm not feeling so well."

He seemed conflicted for a moment, and pressed his lips into a straight line. Then, he exhaled.

"Yeah sure, Cress, let's take a break."

She led him out of the cargo bay, firmly guiding him with her hand. They both walked in silence. She reached her room and pushed him in, almost slamming the door behind her.

"Where are we?"

"In my room."

"Is that so?"

His signature smirk returned to his face. She watched as he moved towards one wall, then turned around and changed directions until he reached her bed. Casually and carefree, he plopped into her bed and laid down.

"Care to join me, Mrs. Smith?" he said, winking at her. His voice was over-saturated with cockiness and had a distinct seductive tone. She hated it. In any other circumstance, she probably would have become flustered at the idea of Carswell Thorne lying in her bed. But now she could only stare at him and wonder if it were normal for a boy to have so many mood swings.

When she didn't reply, Thorne shrugged and laced his fingers together under his head, propping himself up a bit. "Suit yourself. Not really anywhere else to sit in these little rooms."

"Yes," she said, "maybe the next time you steal a ship you should make sure the sleeping quarters have a better design."

At that, he furrowed his brow and turned towards her, curious. "Sarcasm, Cress? I think hanging out with Cinder and Iko is rubbing off on you the wrong way."

Cress let out an exasperated sound. "What is going on with you?"

"Me? I'm peachy."

Cress crossed her arms and willed herself to have patience. It was hard to believe that only this morning she was barely able to keep it together around him, and now all she wanted to do was wipe the smirk off of his face and have a real conversation with the Thorne she knew and loved.

"What is going on with you?" she repeated.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I'm...frustrated with you."

"Why don't you go tell the Emperor about it?" he said nonchalantly, but Cress could see a slight change in his facial features. A flicker of...something...passed over him briefly.

"The Emperor?"

"Yeah, you know, your new best friend."

Cress exhaled. "Why do you hate him so much?"

Thorne shrugged. "I don't hate him at all."

"You're pretty rude to him."

"Aww, is that hurting your feelings?"

"Stop it!" she almost yelled, feeling like she wanted to cry.

"Stop what?"

"Stop acting like a different person. Stop being mean."

"This is how I am, Cress. Take it or leave it, darling."

"Stop talking to me like that." Her lip was starting to tremble. "And stop—stop acting like you don't care that you're making me feel bad!"

She felt a tear slide down her cheek and she slumped to the ground, not wanting him to hear her cry.

A minute passed. Thorne sighed.

"Cress?" he asked hesitantly. He pushed himself into a sitting position, but after considering a moment, he slid down onto the ground next to her. He put his hands over his eyes and shook his head.

"Oh spades, I'm such a jerk. I'm sorry, Cress."

He reached his hand out for her, but she didn't take it. He let it fall with another sigh.

"I do care."

She looked up at him.

"I hate that you're mad at me."

"Then why don't you stop being stupid?" she sniffed.

He let out a small laugh. "Easier said than done."

"You're not acting like yourself," she tried again.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. It's just—I've had some things on my mind lately, and after breakfast I think they just came bubbling up to the surface. It's not your fault though. I never want to make you feel bad."

"It was easy just a few minutes ago."

He bit his lip. "Yeah. Bit of a defense mechanism, I guess. Sometimes it's easier for me to act like I don't have a care in the world than to face my problems."

"What are your problems?"

He reached for her hand again, and this time she didn't pull away. "Oh, nothing for you to worry about, Cress. Just some guy stuff."

"Guy stuff with Kai?"

Thorne remained silent for a minute. "Right...yes, exactly. Guy stuff with Kai."

"You really don't hate him?"

"No. After knowing how much Cinder likes him, it'd be impossible to hate him. Plus, he's made it clear now that he likes her too."

"But you're mean to him."

"Like I said, it's just guy stuff. Sometimes...things aren't really about what they seem," he said cryptically. "I didn't mean to lose my cool so much today, though. But Cress, he doesn't need to know that, okay?"

"I think it would be nice if you apologized."

Thorne shook his head. "You're sweet. But that's not gonna happen."

"He is the _Emperor of the country where you were thrown into jail_."

"You think I don't know that?"

"It couldn't hurt to show him some respect."

"It'll hurt my pride?" he offered.

"Ugh, you and your stupid pride!" she exclaimed.

He laughed. "I know."

"Captain?" she asked, when they had fallen into silence once more.

"Yeah?"

"I don't like fighting with you."

"Trust me, Cress, I've fought with girls before, and this isn't really fighting."

"Well, whatever it is, I don't like it."

He pulled her into a hug. "Me neither."

She leaned into him, relieved to have the real Carswell Thorne so close to her once more. She tightened her grip, but instead of pulling her closer, he pried away her hands and got to his feet. She blinked up at him, surprised at his sudden movement.

"I told you before, I don't want to hurt you, Cress," he said softly. His expression made her want to wrap her arms around him again, but his stance told her that he didn't want it.

"Then don't."

He looked like he was about to say something, but shook his head and began to walk towards the door.

"Thorne."

He hesitated with his hand on the door frame, then turned to look at her. Cress could have sworn he could see every confused look etched on her face.

"I'm not sure that's a promise I can make."

With that, he walked out, leaving Cress alone on the floor. Thoughts scrambled, she tried to hold on to something concrete. After dinner, she decided, she would begin hacking into Luna's records. That, at least, was something she could understand.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Kai held his ice pack gingerly against his stomach. A bruise was already beginning to form, even though it had only been about an hour since he'd been hit. He was really only sitting in the Medbay, though, because Cinder had insisted that he take some time to rest. She clearly thought he was much more delicate than he actually was. Maybe in another circumstance he would have protested more, but having Cinder try to take care of him had been really sweet. He also hoped that listening to her would help Cinder be just a little less irritated with him for engaging with Thorne.

He definitely didn't feel like he deserved the ice pack, though, because—if he were honest with himself—he had known the hit was coming. Kai liked to think he was normally a patient man, but something about being trapped on a ship with the opportunity to "practice fighting" with Carswell Thorne practically handed to him on a silver platter had brought out a bit more of his childish side. He'd seen how riled up Thorne had been since breakfast, and taunting him had just been way too easy. He was sick of Thorne's condescending manner and his teasing comments about Kai's relationship with Cinder. So when Thorne had begun wrestling him for real, he just couldn't resist letting off some steam, and then throwing in a_ special_ comment of his own. The thought of the look on Thorne's face after he had made the comment was totally worth the ache he had in his gut now.

Plus, it had been a bit of set-up—and Thorne had certainly taken the bait. It was the only confirmation Kai needed in order to know that Thorne did in fact care for Cress. Maybe it wasn't necessarily romantic—though Kai had a strong sense that it was—but at least he didn't think Thorne was jerking Cress along anymore. He was definitely protective of her, and Kai thought that was a good development. And, he thought smugly, Thorne was certainly bothered by the new friendship that he had developed with Cress. Finally, it seemed, Kai might not be the only one who harbored some jealous feelings aboard the Rampion.

Kai's only regret was that now he felt particularly embarrassed about the scene they'd made. Wolf was definitely angry, and their scuffle had caused the whole group to stop training and split up. He wondered what Cress was doing with Thorne, and felt a bit worried that he might have caused an even bigger rift between them. But on the other hand, he was almost _proud _to see that Cress had begun to make her opinions known in front of Thorne, and that she had recognized that he was acting like an idiot. Maybe she would see him in a bit more of a realistic light from now on.

Not that it was any of his business, of course.

Cinder had insisted that she go check on the two of them this time, instead of him, since she didn't trust Kai and Thorne to be alone in the same room at a time like this. Kai thought she was over-reacting a bit, but he was more than happy to let Cinder deal with it. Better not to push Thorne even more.

Feeling a bit useless just sitting there with his icepack, he decided that he should probably act like the Emperor he was—a task that was proving difficult these days—and see what was happening on Earth. Finding the closest netscreen, he scanned the newsfeeds. Most of the feeds were discussing more attacks and war strategies. It was terrifying. At any other time, he'd have been unable to pry his eyes away from this type of news. After all, he'd only spent the last month obsessing over every single thing Levana did to torment him and his people. But sitting there on the Rampion, with the inability to communicate with the other Earthen leaders, let alone do anything useful to help the situation, the reports just made him feel like an even worse Emperor than he already thought he was. Would he ever stop feeling like a failure?

He continued to search the news for something else, until finally another report caught his eye.

_Linh Cinder: Lonely Cyborg Turned Obsessed Stalker?_

Already feeling that nervous twinge awaken inside him whenever any news about Cinder came on, he turned on the feed.

_Despite the current state of events, speculation continues regarding the recent kidnapping of Emperor Kaito. Konn Torin, temporary leader of the Eastern Commonwealth during the Emperor's absence, confirmed that the Emperor was kidnapped by the cyborg fugitive, Linh Cinder. Despite his insistence that Ms. Linh may in fact be fighting on _behalf_ of the Emperor, many have begun to question why a cyborg Lunar would bother to kidnap the Emperor in the first place. Despite the Emperor's insistence that Ms. Linh was his personal guest, the embarrassing display of affection and so-called "ball fall" at the coronation ceremony nonetheless made it clear that this particular cyborg Lunar might not be trustworthy at all, but rather, an obsessed and unstable Kainatic. _

Kai grimaced. He had always hated the term the media had given the girls that worshipped him. He had hoped that after becoming the Emperor, these fans would stop treating him like a celebrity, but rather the authority figure that he was supposed to be.

_Of course, conspiracy theorists have postulated the extremes of every possible argument. However, when digging deeper into Linh Cinder's past, the heart of the issue may in fact be a simple one: a lonely cyborg who lost her grip on reality, believing herself to be fated for love with His Royal Majesty. In an exclusive interview with Linh Adri, the cyborg's former guardian, she confirmed that Ms. Linh actually had no friends during her stay as a ward with their family. "Cinder was a lonely, disturbed child, always playing with greased objects and androids. In fact, she believed herself to be _friends_ with our household android! She was always jealous of her step-sisters, who were quite popular. She likely had a secret obsession with the Emperor all along and was just too embarrassed to say anything. We now know, of course, that he was likely brainwashed by her Lunar powers, since it is unfathomable that His Majesty would ever invite such a disgrace to the ball. Furthermore, I'm convinced—now more than ever—in wake of the kidnapping, that with Cinder's capability as a mechanic she likely built some sort of portable, impenetrable contraption in our basement to hold Emperor Kaito hostage when the time came. I'm so ashamed that I wasn't able to warn anyone before. With another dangerous fugitive in tow, I worry for His Majesty's safety, both physically and emotionally." _

Kai glared at the screen, feeling revulsion at the words of Cinder's step-mother. He couldn't believe her audacity. If he made it back to Earth alive, he would have a few choice words with her, at the very least. No wonder Cinder had hated growing up with her. And now, after everything that had happened, the only person who was supposed to love her as a child had turned her back on her once again. And worse, ridiculed her publicly and tried to make her look like an embarrassment to society.

_Anonymous hate mail has been pouring into the palace, likely from Emperor Kaito's female admirers, threatening to kill Ms. Linh if anything were to happen to their beloved Emperor. Furthermore, a ransom video, which was later proven to be fake, has been turned into a song-and-dance animation and is widely circulating the net with great popularity._

The video that showed Cinder infamously falling down the palace steps and losing her foot had been combined with footage of Kai tripping ages ago at a press conference, and it had been molded together so it looked like Cinder was falling on top of him, smothering him. Then there was a shot of a Kai lookalike tied up with a disturbing pair of handcuffs, and a frazzled girl dressed up as Cinder threatening to kill Kai if she wasn't permitted to marry him. The voice of whoever had created the video made Cinder sound like a freakish, crazy, and indeed obsessed stalker. It was cringe-worthy, to say the least. Kai felt embarrassed for both of them.

"Well, that's flattering."

Kai jumped, and turned guiltily to Cinder, who had entered the room without him noticing. "Sorry, I was just, uh, catching up on recent news."

She didn't smile. "Freaked out yet?"

"Cinder, come on, this is ridiculous. No one's going to be interested in this nonsense."

"I think the three million hits would prove otherwise."

Kai stared at her weakly. "Three million? How do know?"

She tapped her head, and Kai nodded. "Oh, right. Is there really…hate mail?"

"Apparently you're quite popular. But we both already knew that."

He wasn't thrilled about the way she said that. "Hey, come here," he gestured to her. She stayed put.

"Thorne is right."

Kai let out a small chuckle. "Did I just hear that come out of your mouth?"

"Only if you never tell him I said that."

"Deal. What is he right about?"

"If people ever find out that we like each other for real, this type of news will just keep coming. Everyone will just think that I seduced you."

He smiled at her. "You might as well be seducing me. I told you, I can't stop thinking about you." He had been trying to be romantic, but she gave him an annoyed look.

"You know what I mean. With my glamour."

"I don't really care what they think anymore. And soon, everyone will know who you really are."

She shook her head. "That's the point though, isn't it? It shouldn't matter that I'm a princess. They hate me just because I'm a cyborg and a Lunar. Both of which I can't help. It's like they don't even see that I'm a person."

Kai didn't know what to say. It was true. And it made a little prick of anger begin to boil for Cinder. He knew she just wanted to be normal, accepted, and loved. He knew the feeling. "Try not to think about it too much. Plus, they'd do the same thing to me if they suddenly discovered I was cyborg or Lunar."

"No they wouldn't, you're too good looking."

He grinned. "After so much rejection from you, I'm thrilled to hear those words come out of your mouth."

"With comments like that, you're more like Thorne than you may realize," she said dryly.

He tried out his best Thorne-like smirk, and she laughed, so he managed to pull her closer to him. He loved the feeling. As he wrapped his arms around her, he couldn't help thinking about their kisses the night before, and before he knew it, a blush was forming on his face. She really _was _seducing him, it seemed. But more than that, a warm feeling spread over him when she was near. For the first time in a long time, he didn't feel alone.

"You need to give yourself more credit, too. I thought you were very attractive from the first day I met you at the market. Remember? I even told Dr. Erland you were pretty." She looked down, but he thought he saw her try to suppress a small smile. Kai made a mental note that she probably wasn't complimented enough growing up with the Linh family, and just wasn't used to flattery. He could work on that though; he wanted to make her feel special. He hoped he'd have more time to really show her what she was worth.

"Now, I am interested in learning a bit more about this basement of yours. It sounds like you had an interesting collection going on down there."

She made a face. "Yeah, remind me to show you that cage I had specially prepared for you for when the time came to hold you hostage. And, bonus, it shrinks to fit in my cyborg hand in case I ever got thrown into jail."

He laughed, and after a few seconds she finally smiled too. "See?" he tried to re-assure her, "the whole thing is ridiculous." He paused. "So, how'd it go with Cress and Thorne?"

Cinder shrugged. "Not really sure. Cress was eating dinner by herself, and she said she didn't want to talk about it. And since I have no desire to talk to Thorne right now…" She trailed off, looking thoughtful. "I'm not gonna push it. Honestly, I'm a little worried about her."

"How so?"

"I think you were right about her having a crush on Thorne, and I'm just not sure Thorne is going to be able to handle that in a good way."

Kai was glad that Cinder was observant enough to gather that. "I think you're probably right. But maybe you could, you know, talk to her a bit more. Maybe about…girl stuff?"

"Girl stuff?" Cinder looked at him wearily. "Please. I think Iko is a better candidate for that job. But I guess you're right, I don't really know too much about her. It's hard to pry her away from Thorne, isn't it? They're awfully attached to each other."

"It makes sense," he said, feeling the need to stick up for Cress. "He's the first person she met and they did go through a few traumatic events together."

"I know. It's just confusing sometimes with all the different feelings aboard the Rampion. We have so much to think about already. Why are you so protective of Cress lately anyway?"

He shrugged. "I'm not really protective," he heard himself lying and tried to correct himself. "I'm a _little _protective, I guess. I'm just trying to save her from a possibly bad situation."

"Kai." Cinder looked at him sternly. "Cress doesn't need saving. Cress saved _us_. None of us, especially not you, would be here if it weren't for her willingness to betray Queen Levana."

"I know… I see your point. I didn't mean it like that. It's just that she's helped us so much, and she's new to this whole human interaction thing, so I'm just trying to repay the favor a bit. Help her out." He didn't want to say any more, even though Cinder had clearly already figured it all out. "Anyway, do you want to see if she wants to join us?" he asked instead.

"Oh, she's totally wrapped up in her hacking work now. It's kind of something you have to see. I mean, I thought I got absorbed in my mechanical work, but Cress—she goes into this zone. She's trying to get the data that Wolf requested."

"With your mechanical skills and her hacking skills, you two make quite the pair. The world better get ready!"

He'd meant it as a compliment, but the look on her face showed that she hadn't received it that way.

"Hey, Kai? In another life, what do you think you'd be if you weren't an Emperor?"

It was a question he'd actually thought about a million times, particularly when he was younger. But he still hadn't figured out the right answer. "I'm not really sure, honestly. It might have come a little earlier—ok, _a lot_ earlier—than I expected, but I always knew this was the path I would take."

"Do you…like being the Emperor?" She looked at him with apprehension, and he could tell that her question wasn't really about him.

"Having doubts again?" he said kindly, lacing his hand into hers.

"Always."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope ****you've been soaking up some of the Kaider/Cresswell fluff...because the waiting time on the Rampion is almost over...dundundun. I'll leave you with that. A****s I said on tumblr, I've written two Jealousy chapters and three Unexpected chapters in just one week, so now time for a break. Unless you wanna blow my inbox up with love 3. Seriously, though, thanks for reading. Catch you on the flipside. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Ze'ev was antsy. Agitated. Restless.

More than usual.

He paced around the cockpit, unable to stand still. _That_ he was used to. What he wasn't used to was the amount of tension he felt pent up inside of him as he tried to wait patiently for Cress to hack the Lunar records. She'd been nervous about his presence initially as he watched her do her magic—because to him, that's really what it looked like—but after awhile she got used to him being there and fell into a sort of hacking trance that seemed hard to distract her from even if he had wanted to.

Ze'ev wracked his brains for anything from his past that could be useful. There had to have been _something_ that he had overlooked. Something that they could use. Something that would show them where to land, where to find safety, how to better plan their attack.

He had been part of an army for so long. He was used to calculating precise attacks. He even knew how to lead the attacks. And Ze'ev certainly had a knack for finding weaknesses in his enemies. But a strange, small part of his subconscious was waiting for instructions from Jael. He despised the programmed, mutated part of his genetic makeup that caused him to yearn for another master. It was one of the things that had made him want to run away in the first place. Ze'ev never wanted to be part of the Queen's Army. Never.

But it could have been worse. He could be part of the pack of soldiers that now ran rampant on Earth. At least he could still think for himself—and he had surely thought more than he had ever done in the past few weeks, days, and hours. Levana was mocking him for his betrayal. Laughing from afar at his torment, misery, and helplessness.

Scarlet.

He knew that because of what he was and what he had done, he didn't deserve for anything good to happen to him.

But _Scarlet._

She was beautiful. She was kind. She was brave. She was good. She deserved everything that he didn't.

Ze'ev clenched his fists. He couldn't allow himself to morph back into the corpse-like state that he'd succumbed to when he found out that Sybil had taken Scarlet. As much as he grieved, he needed to be strong now.

_He would avenge her._

Being a Lunar Special Operative would finally come in handy. And it would all start tomorrow.

_If_ they were able to figure out where to go. And if they could figure out how to reach Levana without her reaching them first. It was up to Cress now.

After what seemed like hours, she motioned for him that she was ready for the others to join her. He quickly grabbed Cinder and Kai, who he had heard chatting in the Medbay nearby.

"Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find too much information about Jacin Clay that we didn't already have." Ze'ev let out a slow breath while Cress pulled up one of the screens and pointed at it. "However, according to the Lunar Court records, his trial is still on-going."

"What trial?" asked Cinder.

"He's on trial for treason. According to the files I've been able to hack into, he is on trial for the actions that occurred when Mistress Sybil and him boarded the Rampion, and the events thereafter. He claims he's innocent, but they're accusing him of helping Cinder evade capture and then plotting to kidnap the Emperor."

He grunted. Miserable traitor. "Good."

"Can we see some footage of the trial?" asked Kai.

Cress shook her head and turned back to the screen. "No. There wouldn't be any. Everyone would use their glamour, and as you learned during your time with Levana, having cameras would reveal everyone's true face. They do keep digital records of everything that occurs, though."

"I wouldn't have expected that," said Cinder.

Ze'ev shrugged. "We may be Lunar, but we're not savages." He paused. Reconsidered. "Well, some of us aren't. It still needs to be a functioning society."

"I know what you mean, though," said Kai. "It seems above Levana to hold a trial."

"Having a meeting without me?"

Everyone turned to look at Thorne. He was standing in the entryway, leaning against the door frame casually.

"You were in your room," said Cinder defensively. "After what happened with Kai, I—"

"You what? Planned to ignore me the rest of the evening?"

"No, I just wanted to give you some time to compose yourself. Cress only just finished hacking."

"It's true," Cress chimed in. But Thorne didn't even turn in the direction of her voice, like he normally did. Ze'ev didn't give him the chance, because he was already at Thorne's side in an instant, pulling him closer to the group.

"Hey, easy on the jacket," said Thorne.

When they neared Kai, Ze'ev practically yanked him towards the both of them. Kai yelped, totally caught off-guard. He knew that Kai was still afraid of him. Maybe in this situation it would come in handy.

"Your Majesty, I apologize," he said, though he knew he probably didn't sound sorry at all. "But this is necessary. Both of you listen to me carefully because I am not going to repeat myself. Shake hands and get over it. We don't have time for this."

Thorne tried to pull himself out of Ze'ev's grip. "I'm over it already."

Kai set his jaw and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Me too."

"Who put you in charge, anyway?" asked Thorne.

"_Princess Selene_ is in charge," he retorted through gritted teeth. Sometimes being part of the pack made things easier. You didn't talk things through. You didn't test each other's patience. You just fought. This situation, on the other hand, required a mentality that Ze'ev wasn't accustomed to.

"Actually," Cinder chimed in, "I'd prefer if we listen to Wolf for this one, as we discussed this afternoon. He's Lunar, he somewhat knows his way around, and he's an ex-operative. We need all the help we can get, and Wolf is our best shot."

"Thank you," he replied curtly, letting both of the men go. Thorne adjusted his jacket and Kai shuffled over to stand closer to Cinder again.

He turned back to Cress, who looked extremely nervous as she flitted her eyes between Kai and Thorne. "Cress, you were saying?"

She cleared her throat. "Ah—yes. I have managed to find the standard demographic information on Jacin Clay, though I'm sure I could find more if I had time to dig deeper. I have his address, parents, schooling, status among the guards, and some reports about him from the thaumaturges, but not too much else. He seems to stay out of trouble. It does say that he had worked as a guard for Princess Winter as well. I'm not sure, though, if tracking him will lead to anything concrete. The trial records indicate that they haven't released him."

"The records, Cress" said Thorne, "are they the full transcript?"

"Yes."

"Well maybe there's something in there that can be useful anyway. Can you send them to Cinder and Iko to download?"

"Good idea," said Cinder.

"Anyway," said Cress. "I think I have something better. Possibly something...helpful." She bit her lip and looked at them wearily. "But it also might be really bad. I'm not sure, I don't-"

"Cress," said Thorne sternly, as if he could steady her with his voice alone. "What did you find?"

"Well, there haven't been too many trials lately, and I wanted to see what other types of things they do in the Lunar Court. Just because...I was curious."

"Okay..." said Ze'ev, also wondering where she was going with this.

Cress took a deep breath and spoke so fast that she almost seemed to be reciting something from memory, as though she needed to get the information off of her chest as quickly as possible.

"There was a trial only about a week ago and the strange thing about it was that it was the trial of an Earthen which according to the records has never happened because there are no Earthens on Luna and so it brought out a lot of people to the court and the Earthen made a few disturbances and Princess Winter was there and—"

"Cress..." said Thorne again, but this time he was gentler. "Take a deep breath. What are you talking about, an Earthen?"

"Sybil Mira brought an Earthen to the court for questioning."

"Sybil Mira?" they all said in unison.

"Yes," said Cress slowly, looking nervous again. "They didn't provide the name of the Earthen but it was a female and she was under questioning for helping Linh Cinder escape." She looked up at Ze'ev, her eyes wide with worry.

Ze'ev felt the breath get stuck in his lungs. But—wait—did she—?

"Is it Scarlet!?" Cinder's mouth formed the words that Ze'ev's brain could barely process. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Is—is she—" he could barely choke out the words. He felt his protective instincts kick in. "Tell me _everything._"

Cress gulped. "I—I warned you that it might not all be good."

"_Is she still alive?_" he practically barked.

"I think so," she replied hurriedly, "records indicate that Princess Winter took her after the trial in order to practice her gift. She requested the Earthen specifically from Queen Levana."

"Practice her gift?" asked Kai.

"Lunars don't hold Earthens in any regard," said Wolf bitterly. "It probably means that since Winter is known to be ungifted, she is going to practice controlling Scarlet's mind in order to get better at using her glamour. This usually isn't comfortable for the Earthen."

Kai looked shocked at the thought. Ze'ev was beginning to understand exactly why all the Earthens feared Lunars so much. Sometimes, he feared them too.

"There's one more piece of bad news," said Cress quietly. Ze'ev turned to look at her and she shrank back. Cinder walked over to Cress and took her hand.

"It's okay, Cress, it's not your fault," said Cinder. "It's better if we know, right Wolf?" But Ze'ev couldn't even shake his head yes. He was just terrified to hear what could be worse.

"Scarlet wouldn't tell anyone where you went, Cinder. They wanted your precise location. When she didn't tell them, they...had her chop off her own finger."

Ze'ev felt bile in his mouth and clung to the one thought that kept him from tearing the Rampion to shreds in anger.

_He would avenge her._

Thorne cursed. "Oh, Scarlet."

"I'm so sorry, Wolf," said Kai. "But...if it just says they chopped off her finger..." he winced, "...then it probably does mean that she's still alive, right Cinder?"

"Right," said Cinder quickly. "I know it doesn't make it any better, Wolf, but...limbs can be fixed." She looked at her own hand. "The important thing is that Scarlet is alive."

"I think I know where she might be too," said Cress.

Ze'ev started. "You do?"

"Well, I know where Princess Winter lives. So, if she has Scarlet, I think finding Princess Winter might be the best place to start."

"Great work," said Cinder firmly, putting her hand on Cress's shoulder. "Wolf, are you okay?"

All he could do was clench his fists together tighter so all the energy went somewhere. He could feel himself begin to shake.

"We needed to find Princess Winter anyway. This is as good of a place to start as any." Cinder looked at him again for a response, but he could give none.

"That's right," said Thorne. "Let's go get Scarlet."

All of the pent up energy in Ze'ev's body seemed to crumble as the words sunk in. He collapsed to his knees, shaking all over. Scarlet was...she was going to be...there was _hope_!

He covered his face with his hands as tears threatened to spill out. Tears that he hadn't known he had. Tears that his subconscious had been saving for a worse situation. The situation he had kept telling himself had to be true, even if he hadn't wanted to believe it.

Suddenly, he felt arms try to wrap around him, and he stiffened, not used to having anyone touch him. To his surprise, it was Cress. "She's waiting for you," said Cress softly. "She's waiting for her Alpha star." At her words, he felt his body relax. Cress' sweet innocence was overwhelming. He let Cress try to hug him, though he realized that she could barely get her arms around his body. After a few moments, he let out a strangled laugh that mixed with a sob and hugged her back, lifting them both to their feet. She let out a little squeak of surprise, and he laughed some more.

Scarlet, he thought, _I'm coming_.

* * *

><p>Cinder watched them, feeling incredibly moved at Wolf's embrace with Cress. She was having a hard time not becoming emotional herself, even though she knew that that they still faced an uphill battle. She felt a small bit of relief though, as if one of their burdens had been lifted. Just a bit. Hope was good, and it was something that they—she—needed at times like these.<p>

She left Kai and walked over to Thorne, who was just leaning against the wall, arms crossed. A faint smile was playing on his lips.

"You know," she said, nudging him, "Cress is pretty special."

Thorne raised one eyebrow. "I'm glad you noticed."


End file.
